Echoes

The sun hung low in the sky as Emily, cheerfully, walked home from school hand in hand with her father. They gabbled and laughed about her day, telling stories and plans for the weekend. Her dad asked her what she had learned in school.

“We learned how to divide, read a new book and yeah, we learned about echo, Dad. You know your voice can echo if you shout in a deserted place. It will come back to you.”

As they neared the bus stop, Emily's father, his eyes shining, said, "Oh look, here it is, Sarah." Sarah stood there, wearing the same school uniform as Emily, with a bag slung over her shoulder. Emily was confused.

"How do you know her?" she asked. Emily's father smiled warmly and replied, "You've seen her around, darling. She's a friend from your school."

“Yeah, Dad, but she just disappeared one day from school,” Emily remarked, her curiosity piqued.

Emily was surprised when her dad called out to Sarah, and his voice echoed. Emily found it funny and started laughing.

"Sarah, could you take Emily home? I've to run an errand and will meet you on the other side."

“On what side?” asked Emily.

Sarah took Emily's hand. Emily hesitated for a moment but then started walking.

Together, Sarah and Emily began their walk, continuing to chat about school and their favorite books. As they progressed further, they entered a dense forest near Emily’s house. The towering trees cast a terrifyingly long shadow, and the forest grew darker with each step. Emily was so captivated by Sarah that she didn't even realize that they had gone deeper into the forest.

She suddenly realized they were girdled by the towering trees and thick green. A shiver ran down her spine, and she started to feel uneasy.

"Um, Sarah, we should turn back," Emily said, her voice jiggling slightly. But Sarah did not respond. She continued walking deeper into the forest, her grip on Emily's hand tightening.

“Come, your dad's waiting on the other side.”

Emily tried to bend over, but Sarah's hand was like a clamp. Emily yelled, "Sarah, where are we going? There's no way back!"

Sarah's head slowly turned to Emily, her eyes black and empty. That’s when Emily saw the girl holding her hand wasn't Sarah but was something else entirely.

Emily's crying and shouting as she tried to break free from her grip. She cried out to her father, but her voice was swallowed up by the cold silence of the woods.

In a desperate attempt to escape, Emily managed to free herself and started running, but quickly got lost among the fallen trees. As the darkness deepens, Emily finds herself completely alone in the dark.

As Emily's panic-stricken voice echoed through the forest, it reverberated among the ancient trees, bouncing off their gnarled trunks. But as she continued to call out for her father, her pleas grew fainter and fainter until they slowly faded away, eventually vanishing into the dark, forbidding depths of the woods. Emily was left standing in eerie silence, her heart pounding with fear, her hope dwindling with every passing moment.