Domenic Bowen
The Voice Why would anyone go into the woods at night? Especially on Friday the thirteenth? It sounds like a death sentence. Perhaps it is. The woods are a mysterious place at night and the dark surrounds everything. The slightest noise can make anyone jump: the sound of a squirrel climbing up a tree, the sound of a robin flying up to its nest. The scariest noise of all, though, is that of footsteps or of a speaker that cannot be seen. Was it curiosity that drove Elijah into the woods? As he sat in his room, trying to focus on an essay for English, a strange voice, somewhat grumbly, called from the woods. “Come and see me,” it echoed. Elijah knew that the voice was just in his head and that he should ignore it. It was what Dr. Coalman had told him many times at his appointments. “The voice is not real, Elijah,” he would say to him. “It is just a figment of your imagination. It will not hurt you.” He had been hearing voices since his grandfather died; the one member of his family he enjoyed being with. His grandfather had a lot of similar interests. When he came over, they would watch scary movies in the living room, but only in the day. If they watched at night, Elijah would have nightmares. The two of them would walk the paths in the woods behind Elijah’s house, talking about the music they were listening to and why they enjoyed it. They were a match made in heaven. They also looked remarkably similar. Elijah’s curly brown hair matched with his grandfather’s curly grey hair. Their eyes were the same color (hazel) and they wore the same clothes (a flannel shirt with khaki pants). Elijah’s grandfather’s death was a mystery to him. He had not been ill previously and Elijah never even saw the body at the funeral. There was no open casket. “He is dead, Elijah. I know it might not seem that way, but it is true,” his mother told him at the funeral. After, the voice started to appear, and that’s when Elijah’s 65
