A Story for Eliza Part 3

The Encounter

Eliza often felt the presence of the dead in the small cemetery as she walked the dirt path just behind the graves. The road ran between her home and the fast growing city of Indianapolis. Many times she would see ghosts walk out of the woods and disappear into the early morning mist as they crossed the path and made their way over to the small creek that ran parallel the dusty trail. For years she walked this path and felt the suffering of the dead. She never feared the spirits; they typically kept to themselves, probably unaware of their own presence.

That was until a particularly warm spring day as Eliza looked for mushrooms. Pushing deeper into the woods, she came to a small clearing of trees. Five small rocks had been arranged to form a crude circle no larger than the length of an arm. A fire ring perhaps, but there were no signs of fire or ever have been one. No ash, no scorching of the rocks. Eliza quickly forgot the circle when she spotted another reward. Near the center of the smattering of rocks, a small treat grew up from the humus. The familiar spongy yellow cap with a white base was like chocolate to Eliza. She smiled her big, toothy grin as she entered the circle for her familiar treat.

Her mouth watered, but she was not quite ready to pick the mushroom; instead she knelt down to admire its beauty. She knew these gifts of the woods were few and far between and they would not last but another couple of days. The stem would have no roots, but she must be careful to not break it off too high. She did not want to lose one single morsel of the fungus. Carefully, she moved her finger slightly into the moist ground, scooping up a bit of dirt with the delight. Before placing it in her pocket she gave the sprout a small shake to release the spores back to the ground and thanked the woods. She placed the snack in her pocket quite elated and turned to make for home. That is, until she saw her.

The apparition stood silently behind Eliza. Her ghostly appearance stood just inside the circle. The two women, one alive, one dead stood the same height. Unlike Eliza though, the spirit’s hair was matted, her clothing tattered, her feet bare. The skin was mottled and grey. As the two women stood there in silence, their eyes met. Eliza’s light blue eyes met only darkness. The specters eyes were gone. Black holes now occupied the space that once shown life. The two stood silently for what, to Eliza, seemed an eternity. Their faces inches apart. The darkness of the eyes now seemed to engulf Eliza as she stared into the empty void. While no movement came from the dead, Eliza distinctly heard the words, “Help Us”. A tear as black as the eyes that made it dropped through the pale skin of the spirit. Then just as quickly as she came, the woman was gone. The woods became as before, Eliza gained her wits again and ran for home.