Apparition a sample story from A Compilation of Twelve Short Stories

AUTHORS NOTE

I am Stephen Atkinson an unknown writer in the field of fiction.

Born in a small village called Conisborough, South Yorkshire England one of seven siblings. My Parents moved the whole family to the City of Leeds West Yorkshire when I was five years old. I always had an active imagination but it took me until the age of 51 years to put into practice what I should have done many years earlier.

At the age of 39 I immigrated to the beautiful island of Cape Breton Nova Scotia Canada. My beautiful Wife Nadine bore me two wonderful and gifted sons Adam and Aaron both equally imaginative and artistic and all 3 very much loved.

It is because of my family I was inspired to put into practice what I had wanted to do for so long and I hope all that read my work are both inspired and entertained by my imagination and ideologies within the works I have produced.

There is some bad language but I have tried to cater to the late teens and adults alike. I took great pleasure in writing these twelve Short Stories. I had always wanted to write but as most of us do in life, we tend to put aside or on a shelf the things we truly wish to aspire to.

These twelve stories are diverse and different with a twist, No two are the same and the subject matter is as indifferent as they are interesting….once you begin to read one story it’s hard to put down the book and then you’re hooked, your attention has been brought to the surface and you’re appetite for more will entice you to read on.

From inspiration as in Jump for Charity, we are reminded there are rewards for good deeds and consequences such as in the secret affair. There are twists to every story, some good …some bad but these are the life changing decisions we all make consciously or sub-consciously every day of our lives.

I have a special thanks to Wanda Doyle who proof read my stories for me and gave me a true friend’s opinion and criticism on my works. All I ask of the reader is to enjoy and be entertained.  All of the stories are fictitious and have no bearing on persons living or dead but the stories may be an alternate reality if anything similar has  actually happened to the reader……….but that’s another story!

Many thanks Stephen Atkinson

Please enjoy and comment your thoughts good or bad thanks 

8

APPARITION

 

As I walked along the campus track leading through a common of evergreen tree’s I could smell the sweet scent of the pine needles through the night air and the warm soft breeze flowing through the branches gently swaying to and fro.

A sudden crack and a rustle of foliage drew my attention to the left of me in the rough ground.

“What the hell was that?” I thought to myself only able to hear my own heart beat as it pounded within the walls of my chest trying to break out of my rib cage. With eyes wide and feeling light headed with fear I began to strain my eyes trying to make sense of the darkness and odd shapes within the trees.

Suddenly without warning I saw the movement of a dark shadow rushing towards me swiping to the sides the low branches. As it closed in on me I saw those eyes, red and glowing and sharp teeth snarling at me.  

“Ohhh, shit! “ I cried out in a shriek as a squirrel emerged from the darkness in front of me stopped, turned and scurried off again more afraid of me than I of it.  

“Jesus!” I regained my composure and began to quicken my pace as if this would protect me from harm. “It’s nothing Sam, just a darn squirrel now don’t be silly”

I looked ahead of me and saw in the moonlight the end of the common where the dirt track joins the concrete sidewalk leading to the dorms, this gave me a relief as I began to jog towards the streetlamp flickering at the end of the track.

As I exited the common and my feet stepped on to solid ground I felt elated and a feeling of being safe came all over me as I stood motionless under the streetlamp catching my breath from my forced run.

I was just about to set off walking when all of a sudden I felt a tight grasp around my body, a strong and firm grasp forcing me to scream out in fear. My heart jumped a few beats and I could feel myself begin to well up in tears as I realized it was Patrick a fellow student.

“You bastard, don’t you realize I could have died from a heart attack!” Patrick just stood there chuckling as the rest of my friends were laughing hysterically at the prank.

“Sorry Sam, I just couldn’t resist when we saw you running back there.”

“NOT funny!” I said. 

“Anyhow, what were you running for? “ Asked Sarah I turned bright red and swallowed my pride and told them about the squirrel which made them laugh even more but I did see the funny side of it all. Patrick came towards me and put his arms around me “Sorry Sam, forgive me?”

“Yeah yeah”! I said “Come on let’s get to the dorm.” With that Patrick gave me a quick kiss and took my hand and as a group we all headed to the dorms.

I was restless in bed, tossing this way turning that way “Ohhhh, darn it!” Tired and frustrated I wrestled with my pillow getting into positions that a contortionist would find demanding.

“You OK, Sam? “Spoke a soft little voice from the bed across the room belonging to my roommate, Sarah. 

“Yes, I mean NO!” I was so tired I didn’t mean to snap at Sarah “I just can’t seem to fall asleep.”

“You want me to get you something?” She asked.

“No thanks Sarah, I’ll be fine go back to sleep.” With that Sarah fell quiet again and then I heard her little soft snores as she fell back into dreamland. “So jelly!”

I  lie on my back and put my arms up to my head clasping my hands at the back of my head under my pillow and stared at the ceiling listening to the night sounds.  I came out of the campus gym and entered the locker room where I pulled off or rather rolled off my gym slip soaked with sweat from my treadmill workout and threw it on to the floor. I was naked with nothing covering me so I grabbed my 2 bath towels and my toiletries from my gym bag and made my way to the showers. I turned on the shower and then took a quick sniff of my armpit.

 “Phewww, oh my god ha-ha you really did yourself this time Sam.”  I stepped into the shower and at first it bit with pain because the water was too hot but with a little adjustment from the cold tap I found the perfect balance. I stepped into the warm soothing water cascading over me as I broke its perfect arc, running my fingers through my long blonde hair ensuring it was soaked through to my scalp, I then took my shampoo and lathered my hair into a foam mass. Once happy I stuck my head under the shower and let the foam shampoo run out of my hair and down my body making me tingle and freshly clean. I turned off the shower and could only hear the drip of water from the tap as I stepped out of the shower. 

All refreshed I grabbed my towel then commenced to dry my hair then wrapped it up high, then I grabbed my other bath towel and dried myself head to foot.

I  looked in the mirror after checking no one was around looking for any signs of pimples before getting dressed being just sweatpants and a baggy sweater and sneakers, no underwear as I was going to get my night  clothes  on once back at the dorm. 

“OK Sam, time to move your ass and get back to the dorm girl” With that I grabbed my gym bag and headed out of the locker room stepping into the corridor, it was quiet and no one seemed to be around I looked at my watch “8:47pm, I’m later than usual.”

I made my way to the exit door that squealed and creaked as I opened it and stepped outside into the warm open air, this made me begin to sweat again having just come out of the shower.

I looked over my options 

“Now do I go the long way staying on the sidewalk or do I take the short cut through the common?” I had heard that a female student 3 years ago had been attacked and raped in the common but I never saw any proof that it was true so I assumed it was just from the old rumor mill that we have on campuses.  

“Screw it, fast track to the dorm!” I commenced to walk towards the common walking track and I figured that the lamps along the track surly wouldn’t be all out.

As I entered the track I looked far ahead of me and saw that the track winds around a bend out of sight but the lamps where lit and giving good light so I began to walk into the common.

As I walked along I could hear the soft crunch under my feet as I stepped along the dirt track, the light and the shade as I walked from lamp light to the next and the rustle of branches on both sides of the track from the evergreens with a pleasant aroma of pines six feet away from the track on both sides.

As I rounded the bend I looked ahead and realized that about 30 yards ahead of me was in darkness and the lamps where out, I strained my eyes and could just make out that the next bend in the track the lights where on in the far distance. 

“Bad idea Sam, bad idea girl!” But I had come too far to go back and so with a little apprehension and hesitation I continued wearily. “You crazy bitch, this is totally a bad idea!” One foot in front of the other, eyes wide I stepped into the darkness gingerly moving slowly on, not even the moonlight could penetrate the trees as they were so thick.

I was trying to adjust and focus my eyes to the darkness listening to every single noise, every creak, every snap of a twig and rustle of branches. “It’s all in your imagination Sam.” I told myself over and over but it didn’t make it any less scary.

With my legs weak and my heart thumping, a jolt of fear hit me deep in my stomach as I heard movement in the trees to my right. I froze and stared into the darkness of the trees not able to see clearly. 

“Is that you guys?” Not a sound, nothing. “Patrick, Sarah. Anna, Jimmy, I hope you guys aren’t trying to prank me again? “But nothing, not a sound, I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end and chills run through me to the bone. At the same time, I had an overwhelming feeling that someone or something was standing behind me so I slowly turned my head to the left with total fear in my eyes, my eyes locked onto a females gaze but I couldn’t make out her facial features.

Frozen to the spot, the warm night air suddenly turned freezing cold and my breath became a mist as I exhaled. 

I noticed that I was looking through her as if she were transparent and her skin was pale white, I could feel myself begin to shake uncontrollably at the knees and I’m not ashamed to say I let go of my bodily function and urinated myself. 

Finally my knees couldn’t hold my mass up any longer and I collapsed to the ground whimpering, my eyes looking down on the ground I saw her feet all pale and transparent so I took a moment to compose myself and slowly looked up at the apparition now looking down at me.

“What do you want?”  I sobbed out of my pathetic little body and the apparition just raised her right arm and pointed further down the track as if she wanted to show me something.

I looked down the track and I saw nothing but when I looked at the female again she was gone. There was nothing there so I picked myself up and I ran as fast as I could then I seemed to be frozen in one spot.  

No matter how hard or fast I ran I seemed to get nowhere as if I were running on a treadmill. Then I felt a hand grab me and as it pulled at me I screamed out loud and kept screaming closing my eyes, I was too scared to see what was happening to me then I heard a voice. 

“Sam, Sam, it’s me Sarah!” I opened my eyes and I realized I was in bed. “You were having a nightmare.” Sarah said. “Do you wanna talk about it?” Sarah asked me. 

“No it’s silly!” I said.

All that day I was in a daze, Patrick thought I was still upset with him over the prank he pulled the night before and tried his best to be sweet all day, but I just couldn’t shake the dream out of my head and what made it worse was the fact I could remember every little detail.

I had a major exam that day but needless to say I do well on test when I’m tired so I knew I aced the exam.

That night when I went to sleep I had the exact same dream again, and again I woke up at the point of running only this time I was soaked with sweat and the female spoke one word, “There” 

That morning I decided to confide in Sarah. 

“Did you have another nightmare Sam?” Sarah enquired when we woke up. 

“Yes, can I confide in you Sarah?”

“Of course you can Sam that’s what besties are for!” Sarah said, “What’s wrong Sam?” 

So, I commenced to tell Sarah all about the dreams and the ghostly girl and Sarah listened to every word I said. “Do you think I’m crazy Sarah?”

“Hahaha, Dumb ass, drop dead sexy, can have any guy you want BUT crazy…No… Not a chance!”

“Maybe I’ve been studying too hard” I told Sarah. 

“Maybe, but then again maybe it could be your inner self saying scare me scare me Hahahaha.”

“You’re Crazy Sarah.” I said with a chuckle, 

“Takes one to know one.” With a smile she went into the bathroom and shouted “AND I DON’T PISS MYSELF Hahaha!”

“Sarah not so loud!” I winced at the thought others may hear her through the thin walls of the dorm.

After getting showered, dressed and some leftover pizza from last night for breakfast both I and Sarah made our way over to the campus cafeteria to meet up with the rest of guys.

“Hey... If it’s not my favorite gal “Patrick was awash with a grin from ear to ear once he saw me coming towards him; we had both been dating for 2 years in high school and now in university.

“Hey peeps!” I leaned over and gave him a kiss full on his lips. 

“Why peeps?” asked Gary “You never did tell us why you call him peeps.” 

Patrick laughed. “Because… I’m so fuckin handsome Gary.” Patrick retorted with a grin. 

“No!” I said “It’s because I caught him peeping through my bedroom window from the elm tree outside my parent’s home one night.” With this Patrick turned bright red and Gary wasn’t going to miss the opportunity of a comeback. 

”Hahahaha so you’re a peeping tom or rather peeping pat!”

“Yeah ...Funny. “ Said Patrick at that point I looked at my watch 

“Shit...Sarah, Phoebe we gotta get to class!” With that I gave Patrick a quick peck and said “See you at lunch peeps.” He smiled and off we ran. 

The day was long and hot, mid-summer and the air conditioning in the University being down didn’t help much, Patrick got a call from home saying his father was ill, I wanted to go with him but he insisted I stay so that kind of ruined our day.

That night myself and Sarah , Phoebe and Anna decided to have a girlie night thought it might cheer us up a little so the Jacks and the Smirnoff ice started to pour and the more we poured the more we drank.

I don’t remember much about that night but I know I drank myself into a stupor but it didn’t stop me from having the dream again, only this time I saw a male figure in dark clothing further along the track. It was as if the apparition was trying to tell me something but what! I know I have to find out so from there on I began to write down notes every time I woke up.

I had the same dream for 6 weeks and each time there seemed to be a little bit more of the puzzle.

The female apparition, the male figure, the rumor of the violent rape and attack and in recent dreams the male was wearing a campus jacket with the crown of the university insignia on the left chest. There was a tear down the left sleeve and a number 28 in gold on the right upper arm.

I began to look into the history of the campus and I started asking questions to the university lecturers who had been there forever, but all said there has never been any murders on the campus. 

Frustrated, after a while I gave up and the dreams seemed to subside on their own.

Patrick’s father passed and I wanted to be with him in his time of need but he insisted I stay at University and that he would be doing an extra year but dropping out for the remainder of the semester.

Sarah met a new boyfriend Danny who lived off campus and moved in with him so here I am all alone and no roommate to replace Sarah, strange though I haven’t seen her in a week.

“Oh well off to the gym, shouldn’t have left it so late though but, it’ll do me some good.” I arrived at the gym at 6:30pm and as I walked through the door I saw Anna and Gary just leaving, “Hi guys! How’s the treadmill working tonight it was a bit stiff yesterday?”

“Great” Said Anna ….They had a tech out to it this morning and it’s running smooth now.”

“Is Pat coming back Sam?” Gary asked 

“No not till next semester.” I said.

“That’s tough!” Said Gary.  “Bad time for him with his Da.” I could feel myself welling up and wanting to cry but I managed to keep my composure. 

“Hey Anna have you seen Sarah?” I asked.

“Not for a few days, I was gonna ask you the same but must be loooove!” Anna said. 

“Maybe, see you guys later.” With that they went and I entered the gym.

I walked into the change room and was immediately met with the odors of chlorine, sweat and damp clothing left behind. The concrete floor tiles where still wet from the showers and garbage was left here and there but it’s to be expected on a university campus after all, we are still kids going through puberty. “Dirty pigs and this is the female change room; hate to think what the male’s room is like!”

“Oh well Sam get changed and get some calories burned off girl.” I quickly stripped off to my modesty and pulled on my blue gym slip and sneakers then I headed to the gym floor expecting to see other bodies trying to get fit. “Fuck! Not a sole to be seen, I must be the only crank pot to be here at this time.”  I thought.

“OK, speed 5 mile per hour, distance 10k.” I climbed aboard the treadmill and began to concentrate as the machine started up smoothly as I got my rhythm. I could feel my calf muscles begin to burn and sweat began to pour from my pores, my breathing at first labored settled into a regular pattern as I pushed myself through the pain barrier. At the end of 10 k I felt good about myself  “Well-done girl you’ve done enough for tonight, shower and change.” Not one sole had been in the gym and I began to think I was the only one around, I made my way to the change room and entered with the whiff of that horrible smell I had walked into an hour and a half earlier, Chlorine and sweaty socks “Yuck, I feel like gagging!”

“Feels like Da Ja Vu?”

I went into the locker room where I pulled off or rather rolled off my gym slip and threw it on to the floor. Whilst naked, nothing covering my all I grabbed my 2 towels and toiletries from my gym bag and made my way to the showers.

I got a strong feeling of Da Ja Vu when I turned on the shower and took a quick sniff of my arm pit, even more so when I said “Phewww!, oh my god you really did yourself this time Sam.” I stepped into the shower and at first it bit with pain because the water was too hot so I adjusted the cold to balance it out and then I realized “This is what happened in the dream” I thought to myself.

After showering and getting dressed in my sweat pants and baggy sweater, no underwear I stepped out of the locker room in to the familiar corridor. I looked at my watch 8:47pm , I made my way to the familiar exit door and stood there a short time as I pushed it open I heard the familiar squeal and creak.

“My god this is uncanny”

“Sam, you’ve been brought to this point for a reason and it’s time to find out why?” I was apprehensive but I felt like an unseen power was in control of me and I was just along for the ride, I made my way to the start of the track across the common and I began to enter the common. 

“Bad idea Sam, bad idea girl!” I continued wearily “You crazy bitch, this is totally a bad idea!”

I  was trying to adjust and focus my eyes to the darkness listening to every single noise, every creak, every snap of a twig and rustle of branches.  “It’s all in your imagination Sam” I told myself over and over.   

My legs began to go weak at the knees and my heart was thumping in my chest as a jolt of fear hit me deep in my stomach when I heard a sound in the trees. I froze and stared into the darkness of the trees not able to see clearly. “Is that you guys?” Not a sound, nothing “Patrick, Sarah, Anna, Jimmy! I hope you guys aren’t trying to prank me again?” Then it dawned on me that this is exactly how the dream went and I began to panic. 

I started to feel cold and the hairs on the back of my neck began to stand on end, I turned slowly and there she was right next to me and transparent I fell to the ground and I urinated myself and when I looked up she was pointing down the path saying, “There I lay and he murdered me.” I looked down the track frozen and saw a dark male figure running away with a crown crest on the front of his jacket and a tear in the left sleeve with a number 28 in gold on the right upper arm but he was gone in a flash.

When I turned around again the apparition was gone, I was so uncomfortable from urine in my baggy pants and I was still shaken with fear, I carried on down the track to the bend and that’s where I saw her.

I came across a young brunette laid with her hair covering her face, head to the side, her panties where down at one of her ankles and her legs forced apart. Her dress was torn off of her and her breast uncovered as her brazier had been pulled away from her breast and was now around her torso, one shoe on and her remaining clothing all around her with a scarf around her neck. Her body naked and bruised like a rag doll from the sexual assault forced upon her and yet I knew this wasn’t good.

With a trembling hand I reached for her wrist to feel for a pulse but there wasn’t one , I knew she was dead and it’s at that point when I realized that the apparition was this girl trying to tell me who her killer was. 

With eyes streaming with floods of tears I gently moved her hair away from her face and immediately fell back away from her screaming.

“No… oh my god No!” I grew cold and began to sob uncontrollably “I’m sorry so… so sorry Sarah!” As I looked at Sarah lying on the ground in front of me I took my cell phone from my pocket and called 911.

The Police where on scene within 10 mins and the campus Police within 4 mins, after a long night answering questions and giving my version of events I returned to my dorm room the worse for wear trying to figure it all out, trying to make sense of it all and then began the what if’s, what should I have done what could I have done and then the guilt. Of course, the main suspect was Sarah’s boyfriend Danny but he was cleared because the DNA found on Sarah didn’t match Danny.

It’s been 3 months since Sarah’s untimely death and I’m looking out of the window as Patrick just pulled up in his truck, he does make me smile when I see him.

“What’s he doing?” Patrick is pottering about in the cab of his truck. “Oh he’s getting his jacket!” That’s when my world fell apart; his jacket was a burgundy campus ball team jacket. The university campus Royals with the gold crown on the left side and the number 28 in gold on the right upper sleeve and the small tear on the lower left sleeve.

My smile broke and my heart sank as I began to cry uncontrollably, Patrick looked through the window as Anna and Phoebe began to wonder what was wrong and then began to console me.

Patrick knew I knew and his face changed as he punched the side of his truck and climbed back into the cab and went speeding off the campus.

I did the right thing and called the police and 3 days later the police caught up with Patrick, he had driven to his father’s hunting lodge in the mountains and that’s where they found his body. 

Patrick left a note for me saying how very sorry he was to hurt me and then he had hung himself from the lodge rafters.  

This all happened 15 years ago and I still think of Sarah and Patrick. It took me a long time to get over it, and the dreams, I haven’t had any since but I feel Sarah was a friend who needed me that night and I hope I brought her justice, and so I hope now she is at peace.