Wrong Place, Wrong Time

Sam was a hard-working man. Sam had a family; a wife named Annie, and a son named Henry. Henry was just an infant, three months old to be exact, but his father wanted the best life possible for him. The only problem was the family's finances. Sam worked two jobs, but it hardly put any food on the table. At one point, he couldn't afford diapers for his son, so he stooped to stealing.

He drove far from his home, so far that Annie would never find out about it. He came to a small town he had never seen. It had a worn sign at the entrance. It read: "Welcome to Cherry Coast."

'Cherry Coast?' Sam thought. 'What a strange name for a town.' There were few streetlights. There were lights on in the houses. He could see people watching TV, and eating dinner through their curtains. Something about the place just creeped him out, though. He felt he should just turn back. Go home and do odd jobs until he could make ends meet. No. He couldn't return with nothing. His wife and child needed a stable home.

He came to an empty house. He assumed people lived there, due to the fact that he saw food in the kitchen and normal everyday furniture. There was also a doghouse with a toy bone in front of it. 'They must be out.' He reasoned. He got out of the car. He had no attention of hurting anyone. He just needed food for his family. The window on the side of the one-story house was cracked a bit. He looked around, just to make sure no one was watching, and opened it completely. He leaped inside.

He found himself in the living room. No lights were on. He hadn't thought ahead enough to bring a flashlight, so he flipped on a lamp. He wasn't an expert thief, so he knew he was making many stupid mistakes. His hands were shaking, and his heart was beating like the wings of a hummingbird. He hurried into the kitchen. There, he took a box of rice, a box of pasta, a frozen chicken, and a stalk of celery. The owner's of course would notice, but they probably wouldn't miss it that much.

He was in the clear. As he entered the living room, he saw a little girl crouched against the far wall, weeping. His heart jumped. He didn't expect anyone to be home. The girl didn't seem to notice him. She just continued to sob loudly. She wore a white nightgown, with spaghetti straps. Her hair was golden and slightly wavy. He crept past her towards the window. His eyes never leaving his destination. He gripped the strap of his bag tightly, making sure he had what he came for. He pushed the window up more, because somehow it was opened only a crack again.

"What are you doing here?" The girl's voice came as a raspy whisper. Suddenly she was next to him, standing up straight, dried tears on her cheeks. Sam backed away from the window. He should've just jumped out and ran, but her face startled him. She looked normal, but something about her made a chill run down his spine.

"I-I'm sorry. I just needed food. Please. I have a child." Her expression didn't change. She stared blankly at Sam.

"Leave. You shouldn't have come here. Especially not tonight." A low thud came from the back room. They both looked in the direction it came from. The girl looked worriedly back at Sam. "Go. It's already too late. You shouldn't have come." Sam ran to his car. The girl shut the window behind him. He quickly drove back home. Annie and Henry were sleeping when he got there. He was exhausted, so he passed out right next to his wife.

Eight years passed, and Sam forgot all about Cherry Coast. Over time he began to believe it was all a dream. Of course, there was no evidence that it actually happened, especially since the food he took wasn’t in his bag when he awoke the next morning. Soon after the incident, Sam was noticed for his knack for designing buildings, and he became an architect. His family now lived in a house he designed, and they had plenty of money to buy anything they could possibly ask for.

Henry was a happy little child. He had a closet full of toys he never played with. He went to a private school. His friends were always amazed when they came to visit. Life was good. One night, Sam tucked in his son, kissed him on the forehead, and read him a story. He left the room. Henry’s nightlight shone dimly next to his bed. He began to drift off to sleep, as he did every night. He suddenly felt someone climbing onto the edge of his bed. He was paralyzed with fear. His mother or father wouldn’t do that without warning him.

His eyes shot open, only to see a teenage girl grinning down at him. He wanted to scream but couldn’t. She grinned wider. She stood up, and paced around the room. She had long, wavy blonde hair, and she wore a leather jacket, blue tank top, and tight gray jeans. She turned to Henry.

“Don’t fear me.” Her voice was a raspy whisper. Henry didn’t dare fear her.

“Who-Who are you?” The girl suppressed a fit of laughter and sat on the bed. Her eyes a piercing shade a gray, and she seemed to have no emotion of any sort. Henry tried yelling for help, but nothing came out.

“Don’t try to scream. Your parents can’t hear you.” He finally found the courage to speak. “Are you a ghost?” He said, terrified. She cackled. What a silly question. Henry was just wondering why his parents couldn’t hear her.

“Of course not. Your parents can’t hear me, because I’m not as loud as you think.” She smirked, began to pace again. “I had parents once. Then they DIED!” She let out this maniacal laughter that made Henry’s blood run cold. She wasn’t finished yet. “I’ve met your father before. He came to my house one night. Coincidentally that was the night my parents died.” She paused. She felt no sadness or remorse. “I was your age when it happened. I wished something upon them and it happened. Whatever I wished for came true. I wished for them to die, and they did. The only problem was, I couldn’t control WHOM I wished this death upon. I saw your father, but it was already too late.”

“What are you talking about?” Henry squeaked, clutching his covers up to his chin. She gripped his shoulder with an icy hand. “You heard me. Your parents are going to die Henry. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” With that, she was gone. Just as quickly as she came, she left. Henry lay awake the remainder of the night, too afraid to move, sleep, or breathe for that matter.

The next night it happened. Sam and Annie didn’t come into Henry’s room to tuck him in that night. He got out of bed, wondering what was taking them so long. They usually came in to read him a story right after dinner. He slowly walked into their room, only to see his parents hanging side by side from the chandelier. The girl from Cherry Coast returned soon after. Henry was crouched in a corner, sobbing.

“I’ll take care of you. I wish only the best for you.” She held out her icy hand.