J. Robb - Bump in The Night

She loved the nighttime best. She’d always considered it her special time. As a child, she’d used that time to forget, at least for a little while, the need to please her stern, unyielding father. For that brief period before sleep overtook her, she could stop pushing herself to be perfect. For a little while she could simply allow her mind to drift. To wonder where her mother had gone and why. To allow herself to hope that her mother might give a thought to the daughter she’d abandoned, and wonder what Grace had made of her life. It had been pleasant to imagine what her modier looked like. Throughout the years, her curiosity about the woman who had given her life had never dimmed. If anything, her unanswered questions nagged the edges of her mind at the strangest times. They were especially strong when daylight faded, and darkness covered the land.

Was that why, even now that she was an adult, the night remained her special time? Night was the time to rid herself of any unpleasant thoughts. Anything that might rob her of precious sleep.

Sleep. Grace yawned and stretched and realized that her muscles were stiff and cramped. She’d been sitting on the cold dock for hours without seeing a trace of light anywhere on the water. If the so-called spirit was going to stir, it would have done so by now.

The thought of a warm cabin and a soft bed were far too tempting.

Getting to her feet Grace gathered up her camera equipment, stowing them in her backpack, and made her way along the dock. The grass brushing her ankles was cold and damp with dew as she took the distance to the cabin at a run.

Inside, the rush of air caused a glowing ember on the hearth to pop, sending up a spray of neon red sparks. Grace crossed the room and added a log and kindling. In no time a fire blazed, and she eagerly held out her hands to the warmth.

Too tired to do more than kick off her boots, she draped the afghan around her shoulders, stretched out on the sofa, and was soon asleep.

Josh paused in his work and stared at the generator parts that he’d managed to clean so far, neatly arranged on the drop cloth, and ready for assembly. He decided to finish the rest in the morning. For now, hot, sweaty and covered with grime, he decided to take a quick dip in the lake to wash away the residue of this project. He wondered if Grace would still be watching for her spirit light, camera in hand. Without his watch to tell him the time, he calculated that it was well past midnight.

After carefully closing the door of the shed, Josh dashed through the darkness, following the trail of moonlight that illuminated the dock. Seeing that it was deserted, he paused only long enough to strip off his clothes and boots and set them atop the folded army blanket before diving into the gold-tipped waves. After the initial shock of cold water against heated flesh, he dove deep before rising to the surface and, like a great shaggy dog, shook droplets from his hair.

He swam in lazy circles around and around, grateful for the chance to work out the kinks in his muscles caused by the long hours in the shed.

Far out on the lake he spotted a sudden flash of light. His first thought was that it was a ribbon of moonlight trailing across the water. But the shape of it was all wrong. This was a single light that shimmered like a spotlight and appeared to be dancing atop the waves.

His heart gave a quick, hard bounce. This wasn’t merely the reflection of the moon or stars on water. This was a steady, shimmering light that seemed to be moving toward him. There was no doubt that this was Grace’s mysterious spirit light.

Knowing that Grace was missing the opportunity of a lifetime, he cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted her name. In the darkness he could hear the echo of his voice bouncing across the water and echoing in the nearby forest. Several more times he shouted, keeping watch on the door of the cabin, hoping to see Grace.

Pulling himself onto the dock he shouted again at the top of his lungs, but there was no sign of her.

The mysterious light was closer now, and moving directly toward him.

He slipped into his jeans and stood watching as the light continued drawing near. While he watched, the light began to glimmer brightly before it gradually took on the unmistakable shape of a woman.

She was too far away to see clearly. Her hair was covered by some sort of hooded cape that left her face in shadow. The cape, long and flowing, swirled about her ankles and shimmered with golden light as she appeared to glide effortlessly across the silvery waves.

Josh knew his jaw had dropped. Though he thought briefly of fleeing, he stood riveted to the spot.

While he stared in amazement, she paused and extended her arms, palms uplifted toward the sky. At her movement, a gust of bitter wind whipped the waves to foam and sent the trees along the shore dipping and swaying. The wind ruffled his hair and bit into his flesh, leaving him shivering.

Through it all he experienced no fear, only a sense of wonder at what he was witnessing. The light around her grew brighter until it was nearly blinding in its intensity.

While he watched, the image of the woman began to shimmer and fade until it was gone. In its place there was only darkness.

Josh shuddered and realized that the air had grown frigid. Chilled to the bone, he snatched up the blanket and shirt and boots and made a mad dash toward the warmth of the cabin.

„Ummm.“ Hearing the sound of the cabin door, Grace was abruptly yanked from the most pleasant dream. She’d been a little girl again, warm and snug in the embrace of her mother. Though she couldn’t see the woman’s face, she’d known instinctively who she was.

Struggling to hold onto the memory, she sat up, shoving tangles of hair from her eyes. „Guess I fell asleep.“

She turned and, seeing the look on Josh’s face, was suddenly wide awake. „You look like you’’ve just seen a ghost.“

„Yeah. That’s exactly what I’d call her.“ Too agitated to think about sleep, Josh set the coffeepot over the coals before pulling on his shirt.

„Her?“

He turned and gave a solemn nod. „Your spirit. She was out there.“

„You saw her?“ Grace was on her feet and across the room in an instant, clutching his hands. „What did she look like? What did she do?“

At her touch, he experienced again the quick flare of heat and blamed it on the fact that he was still wired from what he’d just experienced. „I never really saw her face, but she looked the way I’d expect a ghost to look.“

„How?“

He shrugged. „Shimmering light, a kind of ethereal form that suggested a woman.“

He was already questioning what he’d seen. Had it really been a spirit? Or had that icy swim after so many hours of hot, sweaty work affected his mind?

Grace squeezed his hands. „Did she say anything?“

„Not a word. But I had the feeling that she’d been expecting someone else.“ Or had he imagined that, as well? „Anyway, she lifted her arms and there was this sudden rush of cold air, almost as if she’d summoned it.“ He shivered, remembering. „The trees along the shore were bent low from it, and the waves turned to angry foam. And then, as quickly as she’d come, she was gone.“

„And I missed it.“ She released his hands and turned away on a moan of disgust.

„If it’s any consolation, I did my best to wake you.“

She glanced over her shoulder. „You did?“

He nodded. „I shouted your name at the top of my voice. Actually, I called you a couple of times, but got no response.“

„That doesn’t make any sense. I’m the lightest sleeper in the world. The so«nd of aipin dropping can have me awake and pacing for hours. I can’t believe I missed the reason I’m here.“ Grace gave a long, deep sigh of annoyance.