How I Found You Read Free Page A

stop.
    The dull, opaque clouds churned above her, and she could hardly see beyond the grim shadows that lurked before her. But she could see one thing — the only other living entity in the sparse land.
    Hunched on the ground was some sort of creature. Its body was arched on the floor, concealed by a black cloak. It remained perfectly still, only taking occasional shallow breaths, causing the form to pulsate slightly.
    The girl stopped walking, instinctively fearful.
    And then, with a guttural moan, the creature began to convulse. Out from beneath the cloak an ivory claw revealed itself, hooking down into the ground, anchoring itself, pulling its body forward.
    The girl tried to cry out, but no sound passed her lips.
    Still hunched low to the ground, the creature heaved itself towards her. As it closed in on her, its body began to rear upwards, growing taller and taller until it was twice her size. Shrouded behind the cloak, only two menacing black eyes were visible; the beady eyes of a crow bulging from the ashen skull of a man.
    She let out a petrified scream.
     
     
    I WOKE MYSELF UP, SCREAMING . Simultaneously, a clap of thunder echoed throughout my bedroom.
    Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God.
    Where did all the daylight go?
    The attic room was submerged in total darkness and was literally shaking under the pressure of a violent storm. Outside, the rain hammered fiercely upon the roof and stabbed against the window pane, vigorously rattling the delicate glass.
    Scrambling off my bed, I dived for the light switch. Those five seconds during which I stumbled around in blinding darkness—post nightmare, I might add—were the longest five seconds of my life. Somewhere between second number three and second number four, I became convinced that I was having a heart attack. Thank God for second number five, which shall evermore be referred to as ‘The Bringer of Light’.
    Artificial light flooded the little room. I felt a degree of relief, but my heart was still hammering in my chest.
    After a nightmare, I knew, the logical thing to do was remind myself that ‘it was just a dream’.
    I skipped that stage and went straight to the ‘something’s in the room with me’ rationale. Logical thinking was not my strong point. Besides, when you have the same dream one hundred times over, logic kind of loses its novelty.
    “Mary?” I yelled.
    When there was no response, I peeked out from my bedroom. At the bottom of my private steps I could see that the upper hallway was empty and the lights were out. Mary and Roger must have been downstairs.
    I hurried down the attic steps and crossed the hallway to the main staircase.
    I made it down two flights of stairs in record time—navigating a dark manor house always made me move a little faster. 
    I could hear Mary and Roger talking, and I traced their voices to the kitchen.
    Mary greeted me brightly when I appeared in the doorway. “Hi, Rosie! We thought you were asleep. I was just about to come upstairs and wake you.”
    I stepped into the kitchen. It was warm and spacious, decorated in wholesome shades of apricot. A long breakfast table ran through the centre, with eight stools positioned around it. Mary and Roger were seated on stools opposite each other, sipping at mugs of tea.
    I pulled up a stool beside Mary. “Yeah, I must have fallen asleep. I think the thunder woke me up.” I didn’t bother mentioning the nightmare. It was less embarrassing to blame it on the thunder.
    “Funny old day,” Mary said as she gazed out of the kitchen window, looking over the unlit garden. “That storm came out of nowhere. It’s hard to believe that it was sunny this afternoon.”
    Roger rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Yes. What a strange summer it’s been. Very unpredictable.”
    “Hmm,” Mary nodded and took a sip of her tea. “Oh, Rose,” she said suddenly. “You must be starving. I thought I could make us a late dinner, to celebrate your first night here. Only something light.