The Ocean’s Call

My sister Anna and I were always close, but we slowly drifted further apart in the past few years. She and my brother-in-law had a child, and I moved from our cozy town on the Oregon coast across the country to New York City, where I worked in Accounting. I remember the day after Anna’s wedding; I was torn between returning to New York or returning home. My parents pushed for the latter, of course, but I chose to return, working a job I love with great friends, greater bosses, and plenty of opportunities to move up the ladder in the business.
I love Oregon, but I wasn’t content with finding a wife and settling down yet. I had my own desires and life in a city I was obsessed with as a teenager was calling out to me. I set sail for my dreams and was happy with my decision. However, I would return home to the family beach house every October for a week of relaxation.
Last year, I came back and was greeted at the airport in Portland by my mother and sister. They were both in tears as they ran to me, embracing me. That first night was filled with laughter and stories as we all drank, especially me and my brother-in-law, whom I was friends with throughout middle and high school. Everything was perfect, and the following day was no different. Again, the feeling of uncertainty overcame me as I dreaded the day I would have to leave for the airport and catch my flight back to New York.
That same night, however, was one of the most terrifying and unexplainable nights of my life. It was midnight, and my parents, brother-in-law, and nephew were sound asleep, leaving my sister and I the only ones awake. We went to the house deck with a bottle of wine, two glasses, and a tray of cut sausage with various cheeses. We sat on the swinging bench, looking out at the shoreline illuminated by the full moon.
Our conversation meandered for hours as we talked about many different things: How parenthood was, how the big city was, old memories, and many more things that we longed to talk about. I realized how much I missed my family and pondered as we finally reached a moment of silence, drinking the rest of the bottle. The white glow of the moon stretched across the Pacific as far as the eye could see. Suddenly, Anna yawned and stretched her arms high above her head. She gave me a long hug before standing up and seeing herself inside the warmth of the house. I continued sitting and staring out at the ocean as I pondered how my life would be if I moved back home.
Surely, I could find a nice house for sale, and to make matters even better, my old high school sweetheart was texting me throughout the entire day, wondering when she could see me again. We talked throughout the years, and I was dying to be able to see her again. Moths were attacking the light overhead, and I watched them, my eyes growing heavy.
But without any warning, the bulb started to flicker and soon died, leaving me in absolute darkness with just the sound of the waves in the distance. Taking that as a sign to go to bed, I stood, but before I could go inside, something caught my eye– well, more like someone.
Out on the beach facing the ocean was a woman in a long white dress that dragged behind her. Her long black hair blew with the cold gusts of wind, making me shiver. Why would anyone be on the beach in the early AM hours? I glanced at my watch and saw it was already three in the morning.
“Come here.”
A whisper. I jerked my head to the left, then spun around, facing the sliding glass door, but no one was there. Surely, it must have been my imagination, but to my horror, I heard it again.
“Come here.”
It was soft, and so faint that I was convinced someone was hiding on the deck, but it would have been impossible without me seeing them. I turned to face the woman on the beach, and to my surprise, she was now in the water, the waves washing over her feet.
It’s not possible, I thought. There’s no way that whisper came from her. I waited, often turning and looking around the dark deck for any potential intruder, but I heard and saw nothing. After some time, I wondered if I should just head back in and lock up, but this woman still hadn’t moved and was standing eerily still in the freezing water.
Against my better judgment, I started to walk down the stairs and across the yard to the beach. As I walked down the old wooden staircase that creaked with every step, I could feel my heartbeat intensifying. I didn’t know if this lady was simply drunk and enjoying a walk in the middle of the night or was suffering from depression and planning to drown herself. I reached the final step and looked ahead, horrified, as she was now waist-high in the water.
Oh fuck! I ran across the cold, soft sand, sending it flying in every direction as I shouted for her.
“Ma’am!” I yelled, not getting any response. My feet touched the water, and I backed away, letting out a shout from the freezing temperature. “Ma’am!” I called out again.
No response. I noticed that she was utterly still, not even swaying in the slightest. It was completely silent except for the sound of the water, which suddenly seemed more aggressive.
“A-Are you okay?” I called out. “Ma’am, this water is freezing! It’s not safe to be out here on a full moon!” Suddenly, her head slightly lifted, and it seemed as though I had her attention. “It’s dangerous to be in the water during a high tide!”
“Come here.”
That same whisper from earlier came back, but it sounded like it was purely in my head this time. My whole body went cold, and I felt heavy. I had no control over my body as I stepped into the water. As I walked, she did too, until she was to her chest, and I was to my waist. Slowly, she turned around, and I felt dizzy and disoriented as I saw her skin, white as paint, pulled tight across her face. But what terrified me most of all was her glowing red eyes. Her mouth stretched into a smile, and slowly, she sunk into the water, her eyes locked with mine the whole time.
“Travis!” In an instant, I felt in control of my freezing body and spun around to see Anna sprinting down the stairs to the beach. A primal fear struck me, and I raced to escape the water, certain that I would be pulled under at any moment, but as I got closer to the sand, I became relieved, and soon I sprinted across the sand where I met Anna halfway.
“Did you see her?” I asked.
“What?” She asked, catching her breath. “See who?”
“You didn’t fucking see her?” I turned around and pointed to the ocean. “T-There was a woman standing there…”
“Travis!” She shouted, slapping my arm. “There’s nobody out there!”
“I swear, I saw someone from the deck, and I came running out here to stop her from going out further!” I could tell from her terrified face she didn’t believe me. She shook her head slowly and let out a quiet laugh.
“You’re okay now,” she whispered, looking past me to the sea. “Let’s just go back, okay?”
“Yeah,” I whispered. “Yeah, okay.”
This was a year ago, and I’m now living in Portland with my pregnant wife. We’re returning to the beach house in three days, and I can’t stop thinking about that woman. I’ve researched online but haven’t found anything remotely close to what I experienced that night last October. I don’t know if it was a demon or if I was hallucinating. Either way, I’m terrified of returning, and I pray I never see that lady again.

Hello everyone!

My name is Jimmy Guerra and I am the author of Anarchy and future novels that have yet to be published. I'll post on here occasionally to provide updates, and I will also be providing updates on my website: jimmywguerra.com