I pull into the parking lot for the state park. The good thing about coming here this early in the morning is that no one else is there other than the occasional runner.The moment I step out of the car, I am overwhelmed by the scent of pine trees and the feel of fresh air on my skin. I haven’t had this feeling in a long time. I’ve been so afraid that I would see another ghost through my camera, but standing here, it feels too peaceful for there to be anything supernatural lurking around.


Right then my phone rings, effectively destroying the peaceful atmosphere. I reluctantly answer the call and hear my mom say, “Alexis, honey, don’t be out too long. Remember, we’re having guests over in a few hours.”


“Ok,” I reply, “Bye.”


I hang up and think about the real reason I am here., seeing if my power is gone. I hate seeing the ghosts because they look exactly how they looked when they died. Some look absolutely normal like my friend Lydia, but some are hideously mangled.


As I pick up my camera, I think about the last time I was here. I had to push my boyfriend off a cliff because he was attached to a poltergeist that was killing people and he wouldn’t let go of the poltergeist. The memory of him falling still gives me nightmares.


I take my favorite path into the woods and almost immediately see a doe and her fawn. I creep closer and take a picture. I open up the picture on my camera and closely inspect the image for anything strange. It checks out. Nothing supernatural here.


I walk along the path taking pictures and checking each one. I start to relax. Maybe I won’t see anything, I think, until something catches my eye. A little bit off the path there is a shimmer in the air. I’m surprised that I can see it without my camera.


Walking towards it, I notice it is farther away than I thought. When I finally get to it, I see that it is a little bigger than I am. I shouldn’t touch it, I think. But then again, this isn’t the most dangerous thing I have seen.


The moment I touch it I feel myself being sucked into it.




I come out in a forest a lot like my own but much wilder. Unlike the state park, this forest has a dangerous feel to it.

Right then I see an arrow whiz by. I creep forward and watch as a girl with a long, dark braid draws back the string of her bow and lets go. When I turn to see who she shot, I see a boy on the ground with an arrow sticking out of him. Horrified, I look back to the girl, and for the first time, I notice a little girl with curly, dark hair lying on the ground with a spear jutting out of her stomach. She is barely alive. As I watch, the girl with the braid starts to sing a song to the dying girl. I am so shocked that I just stand there. When I notice that the little girl has stopped breathing, I step out of my cover.


“What hap-.” I stop speaking when I see the girl point an arrow at me. Out of habit, I raise my camera and snap a picture. I look at the picture and see the little girl standing next to the girl with a braid. Looking back to the girl, I start to see her let go of the string. The last thing I see is the arrow flying towards me.