Midnight Dancer

The winter came without warning – icy winds shaking the trees and causing frost to grow upon the windows. There were lesser cars on the road and the children that would usually be seen playing outside till late evening, were now ushered back into their respective homes much earlier so as to avoid the deathly chill of the winter. The snow had begun to pile up outside – causing the town of Redwood to slowly look like a large white blanket. Located in River County, Indiana, USA, Redwood was a quiet and uneventful town with an estimated population of 15,000 to 20,000 residents. Those who were born here would – in most cases – continue to live on their lives here till the end of their days. Redwood was peaceful and prosperous; satisfying its existing residents; with one of those residents being none other than 17-year-old Jacob – or rather – Jake Xavier. He was a handsome young man, who had spent all of his life in Redwood with little to no issues or problems that were capable of disrupting his everyday life. He was happy and content. There was nothing that could possibly change that; was there?

The alarm clock rang at precisely 9 o’clock, jolting Jake awake from a deep sleep; his emerald green eyes – a trait that he had inherited from his father – gently fluttering awake. He groaned as he stretched his body – his muscles numb as he had probably slept in an awkward position. He clicked on the ‘OFF’ button, before hissing softly as he felt the icy cold brush against his body and play with his already-messy caramel brown hair. Jake took a long shower that morning, savoring the feeling of hot water running down his skin and keeping the cold away. He then made sure to dress warmly before making his way down the stairs, while being extra quiet so as to not wake his family members. Jake had just managed to grab his keys and make his way out the front door, before a soft creaking sound came from behind him. There, stood his younger sister of 2 years, Lucy Xavier, with her arms crossed over her chest and a large frown on her face. Her long caramel brown hair that reached down her back and touched the floor was tousled from just waking up and her forest green eyes held a tired gaze. She took a minute to take in his appearance from head to toe, before proceeding to speak.

“And where do you think you’re going, big brother?” she asked, in a drowsy voice.

“Just to get some things”, he replied; his eyes averting her gaze.

“If you’re planning to go up the mountain again, I just know that you’re going to regret it”.

“Calm down, will you? And don’t tell mom. You know she’ll freak out’, Jake said, already bending down to put on his shoes.

“Well, it is a risky time of the year-”, Lucy began, before Jake cut her off.

“It’ll be fine, okay? It’s just going to be for a few hours, and then I’ll be home. In fact, you won’t even realize that I was gone in the first place!” Jake exclaimed.

“Oh I’ll notice, big brother. I’ll definitely notice”, Lucy replied.

“Well too bad because goodbye, Lucy”, Jake stated; his tone bearing a note of finality, making Lucy roll her eyes as she watched her brother leave.

Jake stepped outside and took a deep breath, before quickly regretting this decision of his as the cold winter air filled his being and threatened to freeze his lungs. He then tugged his jacket’s collar up higher and placed both his hands in his pockets, before making his way down the long cobbled pathway that would lead him straight to the mountain’s entrance.

Mount Windy had always been a popular tourist attraction spot due to its exquisite landscape, but had still somehow maintained its poor reputation among Redwood’s residents for many years. This was likely because most residents – especially the older ones – believed that Mount Windy should be avoided as it was apparently the harbinger of bad luck. They believed that a great many nasty creatures lurked within its trees; waiting for the right opportunity to attack an innocent passerby. Jake however, would constantly pay no mind to the warnings and make his way up the rolling hills surrounding the mountain, before situating himself at its base. He would often find solace here, in the cold and quiet atmosphere that encircled the mountain. Jake would also find himself slowly losing focus regarding his previous troubles, before becoming in tune with the nature around him. It was there that Jake found inner peace. It was at Mount Windy that Jake could truly be alone.

However, as he slowly began to once again welcome the embrace of sleep, Jake found himself being jolted awake by a distant sound at the mountain’s base. The sound grew louder as Jake drew closer; allowing him to discern the unidentified sound to be that of a woman’s cries. The cries grew closer as he walked further into the forest, sounding rather odd and creepy. It wasn’t long before Jake determined the source of the mysterious cries: an old well located deep in the forest, covered in moss. He stood wearily before the well, contemplating his decision to go and peer within and possibly help a woman that was hurt. Soon, he made up his mind and took a deep breath before walking up to the well. He peered inside and was surprised to have found nothing – or rather no one – inside. The base of the well looked dark and empty, but that still did not stop Jake from determining that no one was inside.

“Ugh. I’m probably dreaming, aren’t I?” Jake asked himself, before turning around to make his way back home. He had had enough of Mount.Windy for today.

Suddenly, just as he turned around, standing right there in front of him stood a stunning Chinese dancer. She wore beautiful clothing in shades of green and yellow, with a golden crown sitting on her head. Jake could see that she was indeed a gorgeous and elegant woman, although she did seem….rather strange. She stared at him with wide eyes, as if she could see into his very soul and her cherry-red lips were pulled into a huge grin. Jake began to feel extremely uncomfortable when she came way too close for comfort, on top of being already taken aback by her sudden appearance.

“M-ma’am? May I help you?” Jake asked, uncertainty lacing his voice as he slowly backed away.

“Are you lost?” He asked again; though still receiving no reply from the woman.

Soon, his back hit the edge of the well, and he was trapped. Now, the woman had completely invaded his personal space and proceeded to gently caress his cheek with her fingers. Feeling very confused and rather freaked out, Jake stepped back again – only to lose his balance and fall right into the well! The last thing that he had witnessed after that was the mysterious woman letting out a shrill scream – her arm outstretched towards him, the feeling of drowsiness that slowly began to take over his senses and numb his body, and finally the feeling of losing complete control over his consciousness before everything around him turned black.