The Night Visitor

It was evening. She lay on her bed in her room. Rain fell outside. Cold air moved through the night. Crows made harsh sounds. The wind made the window tremble.

The room had turned oddly cold.

She drew the blanket tighter around her. Then the distant sounds faded, leaving a heavy silence behind.

Then she heard one bark that was different. It was clear and close. She sat up. 

Her heart was beating fast for no reason. She was getting a little scared. She just lay there listening to the darkness. She was too afraid to move. The sound happened again. It was closer and louder. This time, it felt like the bark was saying her name.

The first night, she paid no attention. But the same sound returned on the following nights. It kept waking her. She could not sleep well. Every night, it came at the same time, and without knowing why, she began to wait for it in the dark.

One night, she decided to see the night visitor. 

The air felt heavy. The silence outside felt wrong. She paused at the door as a chill ran down her spine.

A dog stood a short distance away. She looked at it carefully. The dog didn’t move, only stared at her, its eyes oddly familiar yet strange. Then she recognized it. It was her dog.

A strange feeling came over her. A sudden thought came to her. Everything around her looked unfamiliar. The ground beneath her feet felt strange.

She slowly looked around. Then a frightening thought filled her mind.

She was not alive.

She was standing in a graveyard.

She had died long ago.

Every night, her dog came to her grave. It came to see her and called to her in its own voice.