Where Willows Weep by Luna Fiore

Author:Luna Fiore [Luna Fiore]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Luna Fiore
Published: 2024-05-23T00:00:00+00:00

Sam didn’t know what woke her. The winds still whipped around the house but not as severe as before. Leaves rustled with every gust. Sam was used to all of those sounds. She blinked up at the ceiling and listened for what might have woken her.

Drip, drip, drip.

A leak? Sam slowly sat up, ears straining for the direction of the dripping. It wasn’t a consistent noise. She heard it close, then far, then not at all for a few seconds and then heard it constantly for a minute. A sound that moved through the house. Was someone walking? Aveline?

Sam turned to wake up Jess but the bed beside her was empty. She didn’t think. Didn’t hesitate. The thin sheet landed on the floor in a rumpled heap. Sam stalked out of the living room, eyes darting around for the doors first, making sure they were all closed up tight and Jess hadn’t walked outside into the storm.

A dark figure knelt in the open pantry, whispering words Sam couldn’t make out. She reached for the flashlight they had left on the kitchen table. Soft white light danced across the floors and landed on the bottom of Jess’ foot.

“Jess?”

She had crawled into the pantry, feet sticking out of the doorway and her shoulders hunched under the bottom shelf. Soft scratching came from inside. Sam crouched down and gently touched Jess’ shoulder, but Jess didn’t stop scratching at the stained wall. Light illuminated the brown spots that had grown larger since Sam had looked at them a few days ago. The edges seeped together, forming a shapeless blob.

“Jess, you’re sleepwalking, baby,” Sam whispered, brushing her fingers through Jess’ hair. “Come back to bed.”

“Under the house. In the pond,” Jess mumbled.

Sam wrapped her arm around Jess’ middle and slowly coaxed her into standing. Jess’ eyes were half-lidded. Empty. Lost in whatever dream that had prompted her to drag herself out of bed. Sam walked her back to the couch and gently tucked her back in, rescuing the sheet from the floor and covering Jess up.

Quiet footsteps padded across the linoleum as Sam closed the pantry door and carefully slid the dining chairs in front of the side door and the front door. While Jess could probably move them if she got up again, Sam was likely to hear the screeching of the wood across the floor.

“What’s wrong?” Jess softly croaked when Sam climbed back into the bed.

“Just checking things. Go back to sleep, baby.”

“M’kay.”

Sam carefully tucked Jess into her side, arm tight around her back, and rested her chin on top of Jess’ head. The sleepwalking scared her. What if Jess walked into the pond and drowned? Or walked into the road and was hit by a car?

Maybe I should stay over more? Make sure she’s safe.

Would Jess even want that?

Sleep finally claimed Sam once more, but as she balanced on the cusp of falling into the soft, dark void, she realized the dripping had stopped once she found Jess.

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