Dan Poblocki - The Stone Child

Now that I had stopped putting her story on paper, my visions of the Woman in Black were not confined to my dreams. Everywhere I looked, I could see her, feel her. It seemed that the unfinished manuscript allowed the Woman in Black to appear in Gatesweed, even though the gate was not yet open to her. She could not physically manifest in our world, but it was like I had pulled back the curtain on the window into her world. She enjoyed showing herself to me-reminding me of my promise with the threat of her presence.

“Maybe we were right!” said Maggie. “I think she’s still only looking at us through the… the window, trying to scare us. She can’t hurt us. She’s not real like the other monsters. Not yet anyway.”

“So last night,” said Eddie, “in my parents’ bedroom-”

“It was an illusion,” said Maggie. “Just like what happened downstairs a few minutes ago. Harris, your mother didn’t see what we saw. The lights in town never really went out. The Woman in Black only made us believe they did.”

From the corner of the room came a low moan that slowly crumbled into an angry growl.

“Leave us alone,” said Harris, through his teeth.

Eddie refused to look.

Leaning forward, all three of them continued the translation.

It was then I realized I needed a new plan. I was in a mess of my own making. I had been so selfish and needed to fix the situation. Simply putting away my pen would not be enough. If I stopped writing her story, the Woman would drive me into madness and then wait for someone else to finish the job. Since I had started this catastrophe, I knew I would end it. Rather than wait for her to find me, I would find her.

But first, I needed to open the gate.

It took me a day to figure out how, but once I thought of it, the answer seemed obvious. I would write my own story using the pendant, the same way I had written all of my books. When I finished, the statue would glow blue and the portal would open for me. I would go through the gate, into the dark realm, and put an end to the Woman in Black before she had a chance to follow me home.

Eddie…, a voice said from the corner of the room.

Trembling, Eddie tried to ignore everything but The Enigmatic Manuscript . As he focused on the book and continued to work, the distractions began to diminish, as if the Woman in Black had no power if he simply didn’t acknowledge her presence.

In order for my plan to work, I needed to prepare. As I grasped the silver chain, I was certain that I would not be able to take anything with me-not the book, and most certainly not the pendant.

I knew I needed to write my story, but in leaving it behind, I understood how dangerous the book would be if it fell into the wrong hands. It would act as a set of indestructible instructions, a record of what I had done. Anyone who found and read it would know how to open the gate too. It had been easy enough for me to do it, even unwittingly. And if I failed to destroy the Woman in Black, if she destroyed me first, then there would still be the possibility for her to come through. I decided to write my story in a way that would be difficult to read and leave no evidence. I would need to write the story in code.

Grabbing the pendant, I hastily jotted down a code key in the blank space where I had stopped writing The Wish of the Woman in Black. I opened to the first page of an empty notebook from the local bookstore and drew the chet symbol, as usual. Then, using the new alphabet to translate as I wrote, I began my own story.

Only later did I realize my mistake. In using the pendant to write the code, I’d made it permanent. I knew I’d have to finish quickly, then hide The Wish of the Woman in Black and the code key somewhere no one would ever find it in my absence. A separate place, away from the book containing my own story. I decided to dig a hole underneath a stone in my basement. It seemed appropriate, like a character had done in The Witch’s Doom.

After that, I would need to hide my own story and the pendant where they would be protected. The idea for the perfect place came to me from another of my books.

The lake.

If anyone ever came close to the water, just like in The Rumor of the Haunted Nunnery, the dogs would chase him away. The animals would guard my two relics-the pendant and my book. After trying to destroy The Wish of the Woman in Black, I already knew that the water would not hurt my new book’s pages. If the pendant eventually became oxidized and rusted, then no one would ever be able to open the gate again, though I doubted such good fortune.

I buried The Wish of the Woman in Black under the stone in my basement. That night, I brought the still-unfinished story of my life, the pendant, a canvas bag, and a metal box with me into the woods.

In the clearing, my flashlight swept across the stone girl’s face. Ignoring her, I made my way down the hill toward the lake. The water reflected the stars. I placed the bag onto the shore and reached inside. I pulled out the pendant and the notebook. I turned to the end and began to write. I have been doing so ever since…

I’ve written everything on the past two pages only moments ago. Here I stand on the edge of this nameless lake in the middle of these nameless woods. I’ve finally caught up to myself.

When I finish this last paragraph, I will stand up and place the notebook and the pendant into the bag. I will place the bag in the box. After that is done, I will close the box and throw it into the lake as far as my strength will allow. I will watch the box sink. Finally, I will climb the hill toward the clearing where the statue will be waiting, I hope, to let me through. What happens after that is a story for when I return… if I return. Even though this isn’t over, I must write The End or it won’t work. So here goes…

The End.

There was silence.

Finally, Harris said, “But what did happen after that?” “Maybe there’s more,” said Eddie. “Maybe there’s another book.”

Harris flashed him a grimace. “There’s no other book, Eddie. This is it. The end. He wrote it right here.”

“But it’s not the end,” said Eddie. “We can’t give up now. The Woman in Black is still haunting Gatesweed, which means that Nathaniel didn’t succeed.”

“Does that mean we should try?” said Maggie.

“Of course we should try,” said Eddie.

“Hold on a second,” said Maggie. “According to this book, the Woman in Black really has no power to harm us or anyone in Gatesweed, right? Other than her being truly creepy, what’s the real danger of just leaving her alone?”

“The danger,” said Eddie, “is the possibility of danger. We’re talking about the end of the world! If we have the power to stop her, we should do it. She’s there, watching and waiting for someone just like Nathaniel to come along so she can use him to do what she wants. As long as she exists, she’s going to want someone to open the stone child’s gate.”

“But in order for that to happen,” said Maggie, “someone would need to have the pendant. The one he used to write all of his books. And it’s at the bottom of the lake, right?”

Harris and Eddie glanced at each other.

“What’s wrong?” said Maggie.

“I guess you should show her,” said Eddie.

Harris went over to his desk. He turned on his computer. After typing Nathaniel Olmstead’s name into the search engine, he said, “Here. Look.” On the screen was the article that Harris had showed Eddie at the beginning of the month. Harris read part of it aloud, “‘When the lake was dredged, police discovered a small metal box. The nature of its contents is being kept secret as the investigation is ongoing. However, an anonymous source has exclusively revealed that this secret evidence has itself mysteriously disappeared.’”