Night Encounter

I moved into the small but comfortable house shortly after accepting my new job. It was a one-story brick building with the bedroom in the back. My bedroom window looked out at the woods behind the house.

For a month, I slept with the window open , enjoying the cool autumn air which always made for a more restful night. The sounds of the night never bothered me until that first night in October.

I was awakened, not suddenly, from my dreams by something in the true world although it sounded as if it belonged in the dream world. A soft voice, ever so faint, called to me from far off. As I fully awakened, the voice seemed to fade away. I assumed that the voice was a part of my dream and I rolled over to drift back into sleep.

Soon after, I again heard my name, this time I sat up and went to the window. There, out in the light from the half moon, I saw a form standing out at the edge of the trees near a large oak. For a while I just stared at the figure until I realized that my name was being called again, ever so softly, as if it were on the tail of the night breeze. Was it this person calling my name?

I do not remember passing out, but when I awoke, the morning sun was shining brightly through the open window. I immediately went to the window but saw nothing near the large oak tree. Had I dreamt the whole thing?


After shaving and eating a light breakfast, I went out to the spot where I had seen the figure but I could find no trace that anyone had been there the previous night. I found no footprints, no matted grass, no snapped branches or anything that would indicate a person had been there. Perhaps it had just been an extremely vivid dream.

I went on about my day as usual but the thought of the figure near the big oak tree kept creeping back into my thoughts. The more I thought about it, the more I became intrigued by what I had seen. The voice, I remembered, had seemed almost like an echo, carried on the wind as sounds sometimes do on cool nights. Yet the figure had not been more than fifty yards from my window.

Possibly, the voice was from somewhere far off and maybe it had just sounded like my name being called. It could have been a person calling for their dog or searching for a mischievous child who ran off in the night. That would explain the eerie nature of the voice. But what of the figure? Had it just been a trick of the moonlight? No, it had been there. I was sure of that. Though I couldn’t remember much detail about the person I know I saw.

Then a thought came to mind that maybe I had seen a ghost! This brought a smile to my face as I was always curious about such things. What a story that would be, to tell my friends and family. Yes, that might explain everything. I chuckled to myself as I finished up my work and headed home. On the way home I stopped at a bookstore and after browsing for about an hour I bought a book dealing with real ghost encounters. I felt like a tourist now; a tourist in the world of the supernatural.


After eating a light supper and washing up, I climbed into bed and read the book concerning real life ghost encounters that I had bought. The first chapter was all about defending the claims of ghosts and trying to convince the critics that the spiritual world did exist. I found it rather boring but continued to read into the second chapter which was about how to communicate with ghosts but by this point I was hardly comprehending the words and my mind kept drifting away. It wasn’t long before my eye lids became heavy and I allowed the book to drop to the floor. I don’t remember turning out my bedside lamp but when I awoke, my room was dark.

At first I was unsure why I had awakened from my sleep but then I could hear the faint voice again. My heart raced as I knew it was identical to what I heard the previous night. I listened and the voice seemed to grow louder, ever so slightly. I slid out of my bed and crept to the window and gazed out.

There, standing next to the big oak tree, was the figure. She – I knew now that it was a girl or a woman by the voice – continued to call my name. Did ghosts usually speak like this? Was this someone I had known long ago that I had wronged and she was now seeking her revenge? No, this ghost, for what else could it be, did not seem hostile. She just continued to call to me.

Then I realized that I didn’t know what to do next. Was I supposed to respond to the ghost? I tried to remember what people always did in the stories but it always seemed like the ghost faded away after a few moments. This female ghost remained there, as still as the oak that shielded her from the moonlight. What was I supposed to do? Maybe I should try calling back to her.

“Yes?” Was all I could muster through nervous teeth.

“Come to me,” Was her response in that same faint echo of a voice. I remained frozen in place, not sure what to do. Part of me wanted to slam the window closed and hide under my blankets until morning. The other part of me wanted to go to the ghost and see what she wanted.

“Come to me,” She repeated. “Come to me.”

I looked around my room and found a sweater that I hurriedly pulled on. Then I hesitated at the window once again.

“Come to me,”

I lifted myself over the window sill and climbed out, afraid of taking my eyes off of her. The cold damp soil on my bare feet urged me to return to my room and I almost did but she called out my name once more. I stared at the figure and, ever so slowly, began to walk towards her. She continued to call my name in what I realized was a very seductive tone.

I was now only a few yards from her and I could now see her clearly. She wore a white gown that fit her form tightly. The bottom of the gown dragged a good foot of material on the ground but I noticed not one smudge or dirt mark. It was impeccably white, impossibly so. Her hair, either black or dark red, cascaded perfectly around her face and onto her shoulders. It had a fluidity to it, as if it were ink spilling onto her body or more accurately, it was like…blood. Her face was pale with dark lips and hard cheeks. Her eyes were indescribable, the moonlight not allowing any detail to be seen. There was an undeniable loveliness to her face but there was something else, something almost cruel in her features.

I was now a mere foot from the woman and it was clear now that if she was a ghost, then she was very vivid, almost lifelike. I yearned to reach out and touch her to see if my hand would pass through her or not but as I did so, she tilted her head and I froze. A wispy cloud passed over the moon as I stared at her for what seemed like eons before she spoke my name once more.

“What is it that you want?” I asked, the desperation in my voice causing it to shake. “Why are you here?”

“Come with me,” She said in that voice that was ever so seductive. “Come with me.”

She moved for the first time, turning to walk into the forest and I followed her. As she led me through the trees, I found I could not take my eyes off of her. The gown seemed to accent her figure perfectly. She seemed to be too perfect but I did not argue with myself, I only followed this beautiful woman to wherever she would take me. We walked at a regular pace but the forest passed by us incredibly fast. The undergrowth and low hanging tree branches were held aside by some invisible force, giving us clear passage as we went deeper and deeper into the woods. I lost all track of time and direction. We could have wandered for hours or only minutes. She could have led me in circles or on a straight path. When she finally stopped, I had not the faintest idea of where I was or how to get back home, which is were I wished I was. We were now standing in what appeared to be a long abandoned graveyard. The remnants of a wrought-iron fence surrounded several headstones made of stone, several of which were sinking unevenly or had fallen over completely. Obviously no one had tended to this remote cemetery in decades.

The moonlight drifted down through the trees and cast eerie shadows on the forgotten burial ground. The tombstones were so old that much of the writing had been eroded and in the dim light, it was impossible to make out any of the dates. I wondered why someone would put a cemetery out in the middle of the woods so far from anything; the whole place was just unnerving. The hair on the back of my neck stood up and I shivered as I looked around

“Don’t be afraid,” She said, evidently sensing my fear. “Don’t be afraid of anything.”

“What do you want with me?” I pushed out in a constricted whisper. My heart pounded and sweat formed on my forehead and palms as the woman slowly approached me.

“Don’t be afraid,” She said, her voice now intoxicating to listen to. I found myself relaxing as I stared into her pale face. She was now so very close that I could feel her breath on my own face. A scent of upturned earth and of dry leaves filled my nostrils; but was it from the cemetery or her breath?

Her hands caressed my shoulders and she pulled my body against hers. I felt her lips touch my face and her hands pulled me even closer to her. I noticed her breathing began to quicken and her body writhed against my own. She moved her lips down to my neck and her hair brushed my face for an instant. There was a sweet scent about her that I suddenly became aware of and I immediately became euphoric, as if drunk with absinthe. She was making short moans now and I was pushed into a state of great pleasure.


I don’t remember what happened to my nightly lover or even how I returned to my house but I found myself in my bed when the sun shone through the open window. I laid there, still feeling the effects of the encounter. I tried to remember the specifics but found that I could not recall them. I had only a vague notion of what the night entailed and that seemed enough to satisfy me for the time being.

As I looked out the window I found that my eyes were affected by the unusual brightness of the sun. I pulled the curtains and went about preparing myself for the day. I decided to forego shaving for that day and went to work. Again, I was troubled by how bright the sun seemed today. Everything seemed to glare at me as I went through my usual routine. It must be the right amount of haze reflecting the sunlight, I thought.

Returning home from work, I had no appetite and only sipped on some coffee as I read some cheap novel. Turning out the light, I wondered if the woman would be by the oak tree again tonight. As I drifted into sleep, I quietly prayed that she would be there.

Some hours later, my eyes opened to the sound of that voice. I immediately got out of bed and slid my feet into some slippers before glancing out the window to see the woman by the tree, just like before. I followed her through the forest just as I had the night before and we stopped in the cemetery as the night before.

“Don’t be afraid,” She said in the seductive voice.

“I’m not afraid,” I said confidently. “I love you.” I had intended to say her name but found I did not actually know her name.

“And I love you,” She said, pressing herself close to me. She pushed her lips against mine and the kiss was like an explosion. As she pulled away, I felt something trickle down onto my chin. I wiped at it with my fingers and found that it was a dark liquid. Blood! I snapped my eyes to her lips and saw a dark rivulet running from her lips to her chin. She had bitten my lip!

“Shh. Don’t be afraid,” She said, smiling. Her white teeth showing as she did. Odd, the moon light made them look longer and more sharp than normal. The thought was quickly pushed out of my mind as she once again pressed herself against me and kissed my cheek and neck with her lips. As she took me in a tight embrace, I felt her breath on my neck and immediately was plunged into that euphoric state again. Everything faded to black


The sun was even more bright on this morning and I decided to stay home. I began to wonder if maybe I had gotten some sickness from my nightly lover but that just didn’t seem possible for some reason. I attributed my weakened state to the lack of sleep and the change in the weather. Something in the back of my mind was shouting at me that it was the woman that was responsible for my fatigue. But I just did not want to believe this. Thoughts of the mysterious woman brought only pleasant memories of elation. Soon enough, this warning voice was drowned out by the foggy memories of the previous nights.

I ran a hot bath in which I soaked for nearly half an hour. As I dried off, I decided to shave and I stepped to the mirror. Strange, even when I wiped the condensation off of the mirror, my image was still hazy. Nevertheless, I continued to shave. As I titled my head to shave the right side of my neck, I found two red bumps. I put down the razor and examined the bumps more closely in the hazy mirror and found that they were not bumps at all. They looked like bites but from what; there were no mosquitoes or gnats or anything out at this time of year. Maybe a spider had done this? I tried to think back to the night and remembered what my lover had done to my lip. Perhaps she had bitten my neck as well? Impossible, I told myself and for some reason I believed that. I dismissed the bites and continued to shave.

I spent the day doing nothing more than dozing on the couch or attempting to read a novel. I had absolutely no appetite and could only sip some water. As soon as it was dark, I headed to bed, promising myself that I would turn down my mysterious lover tonight on grounds of my failing health.


I forgot all about that promise as I obediently sat up upon hearing my name which seemed so clear tonight. I was about to put on my slippers when I was startled to see someone just outside my window. It was her!

“You scared me,” I said in a low voice.

“Don’t be afraid,” She said, stepping closer to the window. I expected her to climb in but she remained outside. I started to remember that my health was in question and I was collecting the courage to tell her that I must rest tonight. But for some reason, as I looked into her face, I could not. We just looked at each other for a moment before she spoke again.

“Don’t be afraid,” She said, now as close to the window frame as she could get.

“I’m…I’m not afraid,” I stuttered, realizing that I actually was afraid. Of what, I cannot say.

“Let me in,” She said as more of a command than a request, still in that seductive tone. I found this odd because there was nothing stopping her from entering my room. Perhaps she was just being polite. I was both afraid and both longing to have her again.

“Well, yes, please come in,” I offered her a hand and she took it. I winced in pain as her grip was like a vice. I was relieved when she finally was inside and released my throbbing hand. I noticed her nails seemed especially longer and they came to a sharp point. I looked back to her face but in the darkness I could just make out the silhouette. Her eyes, however, I could see clearly. They were dark and yet seemed to shine brightly. As I gazed into them, my body relaxed and I felt completely at ease.

The woman in the white gown looked past me and I followed her gaze to my bed. I smiled faintly and moved to the bed as she followed. She wasted no time as she grabbed me with those remarkably strong hands and began kissing my neck from behind. I tried to turn but she held me in place. I felt her hot breath on my neck and was suddenly stricken with a searing pain so strong that I cried out in horror. I tried to break her hold on me but found myself too weak. I yelled for help but knew that no one would be coming to my aid. Her nails dug into my ribs as her teeth dug even further into my neck. She was growling as she continued to drink my blood. The violence with which she attacked me was in stark contrast to the gentle behavior of the previous nights and that was what shocked me the most. I could only imagine her face; that mix of beauty and cruelty. It must surely now be nothing but cruelty.

I felt my knees giving out but she held me up. I noticed something warm trickling down my neck and onto my chest. I knew it was blood and I knew what those marks on my neck really were now. I always knew what she was but for some reason didn’t want to believe it. It was like my mind had been too foggy to think straight. Wasn’t her kind supposed to possess the ability to control minds? This thought crossed my mind as she thrust her teeth into me once more before finally relenting.

The pain began to subside and all my senses slowly went numb. I felt her grasp on me loosen, letting me fall forward onto my bed as her nails slid out of my skin. She exhaled loudly, almost triumphantly and through my fading vision I saw her immaculately white gown head towards the window.

“Thank you, my love,” She said in a voice that was no longer sensual or faint but harsh and almost spiteful. I heard her leave my room through the window with what sounded like laughter. As I felt the life leave my body, I wondered if I too would beckon people from their beds at night as she had with me. That was what the legends said anyways. As I faded further, I vaguely realized how thirsty I felt. Then everything faded to nothing and all was silent but I knew that I was not dead, yet I was not alive either.