From The Depths, She Follows.

The rhythmic sound of my own breathing filled my ears as I descended into the dark abyss of the lake. Deep sea diving had always been my escape, my way of disconnecting from the chaotic world above and immersing myself in a tranquil, silent realm below the surface. It was a crisp, sunlit morning when I set out for this particular dive, the promise of adventure tingling in the air. This was my favorite way to take away the stress of my everyday life. 

As I suited up and stepped onto the boat, a sense of anticipation welled up within me. The lake had always held a mysterious allure, its depths uncharted, its secrets hidden beneath the tranquil surface. Today, I was determined to explore its depths like never before.

The boat rocked gently on the water as we motored toward the middle of the lake, where the depths plummeted into obscurity. I had always been drawn to this spot, a place whispered about in local dive circles as a site of unparalleled beauty and enigma. My heart raced with a mix of excitement as I prepared to descend.

Once I was fully submerged, the world above faded away, and I was enveloped by the cool embrace of the lake's depths. The water grew colder, and the pressure increased with each passing meter. Yet, I relished in the solitude and the sense of wonder that always accompanied these dives. The quiet was calm and more prevalent the deeper I descended. 

My flashlight cut through the murky water, revealing strange rock formations and eerie shadows. Schools of fish darted around me, and the occasional glimmer of sunlight danced through the water like liquid gold. It was a mesmerizing world, a realm where time seemed to stand still.

But nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to discover.

As I continued my descent, I suddenly saw something that sent shivers down my spine. Human shapes, or what looked like them, lay scattered across the lake's bottom. Panic surged through me, and I fought to control my racing heart. My training kicked in as I approached the eerie scene, and I recognized them, to my disbelief – the Smith family. The silence was now deafening as I hovered there, looking at the bodies of these people I had used to know. 

The Smiths were our neighbors from a few years back, a cheerful family of five who had mysteriously disappeared without a trace. The entire town had been in shock when they vanished, leaving behind nothing but unanswered questions. Now, here they were, lifeless and hauntingly still at the lake's bottom.

My mind raced with confusion and fear. How had they ended up here? It was impossible, yet the evidence lay before my eyes. As I carefully examined their lifeless bodies, dread washed over me, for I noticed something even more disturbing. The Smiths didn't look like they had drowned or suffered any visible injuries. It was as though they had simply fallen asleep and never woken up. The only thing out of place was ropes that seemed to hold them together. 

My mind swirled with disbelief and unease. I knew I had to notify the authorities, but before I could even reach for my communication device, something happened that would forever haunt my nightmares.

The youngest of the Smith children, Emily, a sweet girl of only seven, opened her eyes. It was as if time had frozen around me. Her gaze locked onto mine, and I watched in helpless horror as she mouthed words I couldn't hear. Panic overwhelmed me as I realized that this was no ordinary occurrence. Her spirit had awakened, and it was reaching out to me.

Frantically, I tried to communicate with her using hand signals, but her expression remained vacant, her lips moving silently. It was as if her soul was trapped in an endless abyss of silence, unable to find its way back to the world of the living. The eerie silence of the deep ocean seemed to amplify her silent pleas.

With a heavy heart and a sinking feeling, I decided to surface and notify the authorities. I left the Smith family's eerie underwater grave behind, but Emily's silent gaze haunted my every thought. As I ascended, the weight of what I had witnessed bore down on me, filling me with a profound sense of dread.

When I reached the surface and climbed back onto the boat, I immediately contacted the authorities, leading them to the tragic discovery I had made. They promised to investigate, but I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more to this mystery than met the eye.

That night, as I lay in bed, exhausted from the day's events, I heard a soft whisper in the darkness of my room. At first, I dismissed it as a trick of my tired mind, but then I saw her—Emily's spirit, standing at the foot of my bed, her eyes pleading, her lips moving soundlessly. The horror I felt was indescribable, and I knew that I was forever linked to the Smith family's tragic fate. She would stand in my door frame, her dress soaking wet as though she’d just emerged from the depths I’d last seen her in. 

The dripping echoed throughout my house. A terrifying drip…drip…drip… 

It was a thing of nightmares. I tried to shake it off, leave it behind, convince myself that I was just traumatized by the experience and my brain was trying to compensate. 

But, despite my efforts, over the following days, Emily's spirit continued to follow me, appearing at unexpected moments, her presence a constant reminder of the unsolved mystery and the torment she must be enduring. I couldn't bear it any longer, and I resolved to uncover the truth behind the Smiths' demise, hoping that it would free Emily's restless spirit.

She filled my mind with images of her and her family, the way the rope that held them down twisted with the wax and wane of the water. 

The investigation that followed was filled with twists and turns, leading me deeper into a web of secrets and betrayals. As the truth began to unravel, I realized that the Smiths' fate was far more sinister than anyone could have imagined.

Emily's spirit guided me through the darkness of the past, revealing the hidden secrets that had torn her family apart. It was a harrowing journey, one that would challenge my beliefs about life and death, but I couldn't turn back now.

I wish I could say that, In the end, the truth set Emily free, and her spirit vanished, leaving me with a profound sense of closure and a heavy heart. But the only thing that came was how the Smith family's story became a cautionary tale, a reminder that even the most idyllic families could hide dark secrets beneath the surface. Emily’s spirit stays with me, and I still hear the droplets of water against my hardwood floors. I see her lurking in the corners. Her presence is almost as if she’s trying to remind me that there is more to seek, more to find. There must be more in the lakes I’ve explored. More she wants me to know. 

I continued my deep-sea dives, seeking solace in the quiet depths of the ocean, but I could never escape the memory of that fateful day when I discovered the Smith family at the bottom of the lake. It was a haunting reminder that the mysteries of the deep could sometimes reveal the darkest secrets of the human heart.

And as I ventured into the deep once again, I couldn't help but wonder if there were more secrets lurking in the depths, waiting to be uncovered. The story of the Smiths was just the beginning of a much larger mystery, one that would consume my every thought and drive me to explore the darkest corners of the ocean. Little did I know that my journey was far from over, and the true depths of the abyss held secrets that would leave me wanting more.