The Encounter

all of this. I hope you can forgive me. With love,

  Emma

  She sat down at the table still feeling alone and scared. She ate a few biscuits and drank the glass of milk, leaving the rest of the food on the plate. She had lost her appetite due to the nerves in her stomach. If she ate anything else, she would vomit. Plus, she hated salads…

  She walked out of the living room, returning to the entrance hall and picked up her suitcases. Upon seeing the door still ajar, she asked herself whether she should close it. Maybe her aunt had left the house without any keys and she wouldn't be able to get in the house. Using the heel of her foot, she kicked the door slightly to close it fully. Her aunt could knock if she didn't have her key. That way she would learn not to leave her alone in a strange house without any type of explanation of what to do. Also, she felt a lot better leaving the forest and its shadows on the other side of the heavy door.

  She decided not to go upstairs to find her room in the dark. It would be better to wait in the living room, sitting on one of the chairs by the fireplace for her aunt to come back. Emma probably wouldn't take long to return and plus, she was so nervous from everything that was going on, that she surely wouldn't be able to sleep.

  She opened one of her suitcases, took out a big wool jumper and sat by the fireplace covering herself with it. On the wall in front of her, a huge window gave her a view of the forest behind the house. The full moon shone bright and white in the night's sky. She sat and waited, looking back and forth through the large window, the flickering flames of the fire and her mobile's screen, which still had no signal whatsoever.

  She must have fallen asleep just gone two in the morning, tired of waiting. A while later she awoke feeling disconcerted. For the first few seconds she couldn't remember where she was. She looked around the room trying to find her bearings, bit by bit she started to remember. She strained her ears, trying to find some type of noise which indicated that her aunt had returned. She couldn't hear anything, just the usual creaking of an old wooden house. But yet something had woken her, some type of strange noise, she was sure of it. Maybe it hadn't been inside the house, it could have been an animal in the forest. She stood up and walked over to the window.

  The moon was higher in the sky and its clarity was a lot weaker. The forest appeared impenetrable, full of shadows. Standing in the lit up window she felt exposed to anything watching her between the thick trees. Despite feeling scared again, she turned off the light and walked back to the window. Bit by bit, her eyes began to distinguish more clearly the outline of the trees, the faded silhouette of a hill in the distance...

  She seemed to sense a flash of light in the depths of the forest. She stared more intensely, but the light had disappeared. She must have imagined it or maybe it had been the headlights of a car on a road. She kept looking and after a few seconds the light reappeared. It moved, but not with the speed of a car. It wound about, appearing and disappearing, like someone walking through the forest was carrying it. Luna felt her heart race again. Who could be in the forest at that time of night and with what intentions?

  She kept on looking, hypnotized by the light's movements. She could see it clearer and clearer, as if it were heading directly for her. It had a red hue, so it couldn't have been a flashlight or a lantern. It seemed to be the light of a torch, but that didn't make any sense at all.

  A few minutes later a figure emerged from the forest, carrying a torch in its right hand. Luna felt the need to rub her eyes or pinch herself to convince herself that what she was seeing was real. A hooded figure was walking towards the house. Its entire body was covered by a long black cape which reached the floor. It was walking slowly, looking straight ahead, although the capes shadow did not let Luna see the figure face. She thought of running out through the front of the house before the figure could reach there, but the idea of running through a dark forest being chased by that being paralyzed her to the spot. She hid behind one of the chairs and continued to stare fascinated at the being getting closer and closer, until it was in front of the window. At that moment, the figure lifted its head and Luna could see its pale face and bright red eyes staring directly at her.

  She froze, unable to move a muscle to get away from the creature, wondering if it had seen her in the light of the fire. Her only chance was that the figure walked away, thinking that there was nobody in the house. She remembered that the hall lamp was turned on and, trying to make as little noise as possible, she walked over and turned off the light. She then went back into the living room and, hiding behind a column, dared to look back out the window. There was nobody there, maybe the thing had left.

  She held her breath, listening for any noise outside the house. She thought she heard stealthy footsteps outside, the sound of dead branches breaking. And then, nothing… She remained silent, waiting, watching the window and the front door from where she was hiding. It seemed to her that she could hear the creatures' footsteps everywhere, even inside the house. Her entire body was shook with fear. She tried to convince herself that it was only the wood creaking, the sound of the wind outside... Even that the being she had seen was only a figure of her imagination, maybe part of a dream. And then she clearly heard the sound of footsteps on the entrance stairs. Something was walking towards the door and it was so clear that she couldn't even try to convince herself that she was imagining it. The creature knew she was inside and it was coming for her. She prayed for the door to hold, but the lock gave without any resistance and the door opened wide, allowing her to see a tall and dark image surrounded by the night sky.

  2. The First Day

  Luna couldn't avoid screaming, a high pitched and strong scream that seemed never ending. To her surprise, her scream was mixed with the frightened shout of the creature at the door, who stepped back a few steps. Luna became still and silent, waiting to see what the creature's next move would be.

  — Luna?— surprising her again, the creature called her by her name, using a voice that sounded familiar.

  Not knowing what to do or say, she didn't answer. She was not at all prepared for all of that madness which made no sense whatsoever. The dark figure began to walk forward, entering the living room and turning on the light, blinding Luna for a couple of seconds.

  When her eyes adjusted to the light, she saw a tall woman standing in front of her, with long dark hair, wearing a pair of jeans and a black jumper. The woman had a worried look on her face, but she didn't look as if she wanted to harm Luna and, what was more important, she appeared to be human.

  — Did I scare you my dear?— the woman asked, taking a few steps closer—. I thought you would be asleep.

  — Aunt Emma?— asked Luna, still feeling confused.

  — Of course— she answered, smiling—. Who else would it be?

  — Was it you who was walking through the forest with a torch?— the woman shook her head, a confused look on her face—. I was scared to death, being here alone in this strange house...

  The woman walked over to her and placed her hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her.

  — You don't know how sorry I am, honestly— she said sadly—. I had to do something very important tonight and I didn't realize that it coincided with your arrival until you had already left Madrid. I didn't think that the house might scare you.

  — Don't worry about it— with the lights on and her aunt speaking softly to her, what had happened a few minutes ago didn't seem real, something silly, even though she could still feel all of the hairs on her body standing on end—. And what did you have to do that was so important?

  — Do you mind if we leave the explanations till tomorrow morning?— her aunt asked her—. I don't feel very well, I think I am a bit lightheaded.

  Luna looked at her aunt wondering if she had left her on her own to go out and have a few drinks. But when she looked at her face, she became worried. The woman looked very tired, with deep rings under her eyes, and she was very pale.

  — Of course not—Luna answer
ed—. Do you want me to call a doctor?

  — No, I just need to rest. Get your things, I'll show you your bedroom.

  Luna followed her up the stairs with her suitcases, worried at the possibility of her aunt falling over. For a split second it looked as if she was going to trip, but the woman held on to the staircase before Luna could mutter a sound and continued to climb the stairs. Emma reached the upper floor and walked down a narrow hallway with a window at the end, through which a weak light could be seen. She reached a door and opened it, signally Luna to go inside.

  — Tomorrow we can talk for as long as you want, but now we must rest— her aunt said before Luna could protest—. I hope you will feel at home here.

  — Are you going to be okay?— Luna insisted—. Don't you want me to make you some dinner or a hot drink?

  — Don't worry, my dear— the woman smiled faintly and stroked her cheek with the back of her hand—. I just need to sleep. I am so sorry to have welcomed you like this. This was not what I had had in mind for our first night together. I will try to make it up to you as from tomorrow— Emma smiled and gave her a kiss on the cheek—. I am very happy you are here.

  When her aunt left the bedroom, Luna looked around. There was a wardrobe, a small bed and