Forgotten Sophie

I could no longer breathe as my lungs started to fill with smoke, my eyes were now glued shut, all I could do was listen. I kept hearing those pleading cries, children yelling in distant "Help, Help! Help us somebody please!" I yelled back, and reassured them I was here, but it seemed as if no one could hear me I was becoming desperate running further into the agoning fire. "I'm coming, i'm coming where are you?!" I plead out as loud as I can. The closer I got to the children screaming the most horrible painful yells the more faint they became. I was starting to lose it, I needed to help those children!My life depended on it! I could not let these children die, I have to save them! My chest started to tighten up I could no longer think or breathe, I felt as if that very moment I was dead. I was fighting so hard to catch my breath until I woke up. I woke up from that nightmare, the same nightmare I had been having for the last couple months. It started when I moved in to my new home, which was in the outskirts of a quiet town in deep South Texas. I lived down the block of a few Hispanic families, who have become some of my really great friends. One night I specifically remember them telling me myths and folktales, and how they really do believe in spirits, and things you would have thought were only in movies, and books. They talked to me all night, and had all these different stories. So many legends it was hard to keep up, but they were interesting. They even told me some of their very own experiences which made me really believe I was being haunted. Maybe I did something in my past life i'm not proud of, maybe I have a curse, but I just don't know why this would be happening to me. I decided to do some research on recurring nightmares. I even googled what it meant to dream about children yelling in a fire, myths, legends. It was until I randomly had this thought to google my home, the state, and that's when I spotted something that stood out to me, so I had to click the link. " Family stunned, 4 children dead in Texas house fire” I couldn't believe it, it was a picture of my home, it looked different. I would have never known this house was once covered in charcoal and burnt pieces of someones life, someones children. I was devastated and my heart sank. I was also so afraid, if this happened so many years ago, am I being haunted? Are these children bad, or did I already know about this and that's why I keep dreaming about it. My mind was all over the place, and i was scared. I didn't know what was going on, when suddenly I hear a knock on my bedroom door. I closed my eyes, and prayed it would stop! I ran and hid under my blankets, as if that would save me. " dear god, if you can hear me please forgive me .."I started to pray so hard, and begged god to make the knocking stop, and it did. I reached under my bed and grabbed my gun right before dialing 911. I was alone, there’s no way someone should be knocking on my bedroom door, I tell the dispatcher as she let's me know someone is on the way. I sit and try to stay calm and not hyperventilate I don’t want to be heard. " This is the police open up!" I hear downstairs, I was too afraid to say anything, and if there was an intruder in my house I didn't want to get caught. My bedroom door was not locked so I dont undertsand if someone was knocking, why they just didnt open the door, but whatever I’m glad they didn’t! The police finally reach my room and asks if anyone is in here, and I slowly uncover myself. "me.. me, im here" I say scared, I know they could hear the fear in my voice. They ask me what's going on, and I tell them I thought someone broke in. "Well ma'am there are no signs of forced entry, up until we had to knock the door down. We checked every room, door, window, maybe you just heard something happens all the time." I nod. An older officer approaches me and proceeds to ask me if i live here alone. "Yes, yes i do.. Why? is there something wrong.?" He proceeds "Well no, but haven't you heard the stories about this very house? I used to get calls from a couple who lived here a couple years back. They used to hear things, see things we honestly thought they had gone crazy. They were nice people, but sadly one day they died in a fire, here at this very house. Some say it was suicidal, others say they used to fight like wildcats, no one ever knew what really happened that night." "a couple?" I ask, "What about the 4 children that died here in the 80's? I read about it online, and didn't know much about it until today " Officer Kingsley took off his sheriff hat held it against his chest, looked down and was hesitant to speak. " yes ma'am that actually used to be a foster home, a home to the Mildrege family. They used to foster them kids left and right. Sweet people, too bad they weren't home that night. They had left the oldest, Abigail in charge of her younger siblings, see they didn't like to separate the children that came in pairs or more. It would cause a toll on the kids. They had gone out to the grocery store, and when the returned the house was in flames. Cops, firefighters everyone was already on the scene. We were too late, we couldn't save them sadly. When we reached the location, every door, every window was shut when we finally broke down the door it was bad. The fire had spread like a wildfire, it was full of smoke, and our men went in there, and barely made it out. One of the men said it was like he was in hell, the walls were closing in, he couldn't breath but all he could do was hear the yells of those innocent children." Chills filled my body from my feet up to my head. I couldn't believe what I just heard. I was hesitant to go back inside, but I knew I had too. I mean this was my home after all. I checked all locks, put on some tea, and went to my bedroom. I was afraid to fall asleep, to dream. Luckily the tea made my sleepier than I noticed.

I open my eyes as the sun glares into the room. I was so relieved to have had slept all night, I needed the rest there was only thing on my mind, and it was my home, and the things that have happened here. I decided to check the basement although it was empty when I first moved in so I doubt there will be anything down there, but my gut is just leading men, so i listen. Sure enough it was empty, but my father was a landscaper and taught me many many things, like how some people like to have safe spaces, safes, bunkers things like that. So I kept looking through boxes, shelves, even in the furniture. I was about to give up hope up until I notice a wall with a crack in it. It was uneven compared to the rest, and shorter too. Sigh. If only there was a library and a book i could pull to open it up. I push it and keep pushing but nothing, until I apply all my force, and before I knew it I was on the ground of a room I had never seen before.

I was in shock for a moment as I laid there on the ground getting a glimpse of my surroundings. What was this, I thought to myself. All I could really see was walls, a desk a lot of cobwebs It's obvious no one has been in here for a very, very long time. I walk towards the desk and notice files on the desk. When I pick them up i quickly notice they are hand written files. Maybe even a diary of some sort. I wonder what this room was used for, or who was in here. I grab everything that was on that desk, hugging it while I try and get out of here. I have to admit, i'm afraid. What if I can get out, what if I am stuck in here forever, oh my god i'm going to die in here. I was about to cry, and have a panic attack when I leaned onto the door and thankfully it opened to the other side. I was about to pass out in there.

I run to my room, set everything down and run back downstairs to the kitchen. I make myself a nice cup of coffee, I know i'm going to need it tonight. I start going through the files, and I decide to sort them in different sections. I opened the first folder, and they aren't named so i'm not sure what i'm about to fall into. At first it is a picture of a little girl named Sophie, it seemed it was her foster file. I was surprised to read what had happened to this little girl, her family, and why she was placed here, when, with who. I kept reading, then suddenly an image falls out from the back. It was turned over on the ground as I assumed it was an image of her. Wrong. I was shunned, in shock, did not know what to think. My stomach turned into knots, and i felt as if I was about to puke.

It was an image of the room I was just in, exactly the way it was left. The only thing that was different were the chains. The chains on the wall, the bed on the floor, then bucket in the corner. I could not believe my eyes, and my heart felt as it was being stabbed when I began to even think about what happened in that room. I quickly shut the file and through it on the rest. I didn't know if I could continue to read, if I was supposed to call the cops, I had no idea what to do in that very moment.

I couldn't sleep last night tossing and turning. There was something bothering me, and I had to get to the bottom of it. I suddenly felt a presence, as if someone was watching me. I couldn't move, the only thing I could do is breathe and watch my surroundings. Whoosh, is all I heard as I felt it suddenly jolt away. I sat there mouth wide open, jaw to the floor, what the hell was going on. Did I just open up something bigger? I was sure I was going to die that day. I couldn't even get the courage to leave my house, I felt slumped. All of a sudden I heard what sounded like a child running around with each other, and that's when I knew this was something more than just a haunting, or so I thought. It stops, and I decide to head down stairs like the dumb people in those scary movies, but something was pulling me that way. It was like it was calling out to me, and suddenly I didn't feel scared anymore, It was as if someone or something had given me strength. I head down, and suddenly the basement door opens slowly, and once again, I follow. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do, but all I could do was go back into the room. It felt different this time, I felt a presence. I turn and see a shadow of a little girl, and then it was gone in thin air. I could not believe it, but I still did not feel scared, this wasn't a bad spirit, this felt different. It felt young, innocent. I couldn't figure out why I was down here, I was about to go back up until I notice something glistening, of course it stuck out. How it was clean, and not buried under the spider webs was odd to me, but for some reason it was there. I picked it up, it was a key. A big key. I had no idea what is was for, until I remember the first time I came in here i noticed a a whole in the wall. It looked like a spade, and I think that is why it was odd me to me. I didn't think anything of it. I looked closely at it, and wipe the dust and sure enough about an inch back was the key hole. This day just kept getting weirder and weirder. I turn the key, and the door opens slowly. It was a big door, when it swings open it leads to a whole other room. What the fuck, I think to myself. It was dark luckily I had my phone and turned on the flash.

I gasp, as my right hand quickly covers my mouth as I start to bawl.