Fears, Chills and Shivers

Looking back over the years, Bernice would often spend her time reminiscing back to the days of her youth. Remembering past loves of her life, the schools she had attended, her favorite teachers but she would always end with the most memorable moment in her life.

She was no more than nine at the time and living in a three story apartment building on the out skirts of town near some train tracks. Bernice would recall on numerous of times hearing at night the crashing of the train cars as they were connecting. Those fond memories of Saturday mornings spent looking out her windows watching them pass by and wondering where they were heading, just wishing that she could go to.

Things don't often happen there, people went to work, come home, ate, watched the television and went to bed, only to repeat it again the next day. Once a storm that made the sky change from blue to purple to grey with some rain, was the only major event that ever occurred to this little place to have any significant affect in anyone's life; made the papers and everything. A very quite, dull, non-eventful place that Bernice remembers wishing something could happen just once to change the monotony of it all.

One night after getting ready for bed, Bernice said good night to her parents and siblings, just as she did every other night. This particular night was different, as she laid her head down for the night, she recalled hearing her name being called. Seeing no one around awake to do so, she resumed her position in bed and closed her eyes. In a deep sleep, she could still hear her name being called and before she knew it, a blurry image came very close to her face as if on top of her. Startled awake, Bernice jumped out of bed, she felt as though it was still there in the room with her. Her mother was passing by her room when she heard the commotion and went in to investigate.

Bernice not quite sure what had happen did not know how to answer her mother when she asked what was wrong. She agreed to go back to bed, unsure as to what she had seen, had managed to fall back to sleep. Again she heard her name being called, this time the image was more clearer, it was a woman's face with hair flowing in all directions. At first nothing to be fearful of but then her voice changed and her appearance darken, scaring Bernice awake.

She ran to her parents room and jumped into bed with them, awaking the pair. She frantically tried to described what she had saw with tears in her eyes. They were convinced she could stayed the night with them but tomorrow she had to try to sleep in her own bed. Bernice was content on staying with them even for a little while but she could not get the image out of her head and stirred most of the night.

The next morning Bernice was determined to draw what she had seen to prove how scary it was to her. Providing as much detail as she could, finished her picture to show it first to her mother. Her mother didn't mean to giggle at her daughter's drawing but it just came out. Bernice ran to show her father, who was too pre-occupied in whatever he was doing at the time to mind her or her picture. One of your younger siblings, who was sitting nearby just observing their father, wanted to see her drawing. "It looks like a witch," they muttered.

Bernice was disappointed that no one took it seriously as she did but could not get the idea of calling the woman that had frighten her the night before a WITCH. It occurred a few more times, that she would hear her name being called and this face would appear in her sleep. Bernice could laugh now but at the time, it came to a point that her parents had enough of the midnight visits. She was banded from watching anything remotely scary on TV, no story telling of any kind and she could not even play make believe for fear it might scare her.

The nightmares stopped for a short time until one night it happened again but before it could scare her this time she was awoken by her parents. A smoke alarm was heard going off in the building and she was instructed to get up, put her coat and shoes on. Her and her siblings were directed to follow their mother down the front stairway to outside the building as they watched other tenants do the same.

Fire Trucks could be seen arriving and unloading their equipment to put out a fire that occurred in the back porch area. Bernice's father stopped one of the firefighters to find out what had happened. The gentleman explained that a fire occurred on one the floors that had started up their grill and left something burning inside of it. They were allowed back in their apartment, thankful that there was no damage done and that they were all safe.

Bernice remembers that it was at this time that her nightmares had ceased. Never knowing who the woman was and why she was seeing her, she liked to think it was to save her family in some strange way. Bernice still often wonders what became of her; the WITCH.