I stood at the threshold watching the children play by the lake. They looked happy, giggling and running around the garden that decorated the lake. The sky was bright yet the sun was not to be found, instead the sky was littered with stars; brightly lit and gigantic.

The echo of their laughter brought a smile to my face and I felt my heart melt with glee. I walked closer to them to see the joy etched on their faces but was surprised at what I saw. They lacked the features of a normal human being; although they were shaped so, their faces were empty.

I wondered how I could hear their laughter when they had no mouth to speak.

“Hello there" I heard in my head. I looked around to see who had spoken and saw no one there except the children.

“Hello there" the voice spoke again and this time I felt a hand slide into mine. I looked down to see one of the blank-faced children standing close to me. It looked beautiful even without a face and somehow I knew it had smiled at me. 

“You shouldn't be here, go before the bad man comes for you"

The voice was loud and clear in my head. I kept wondering how that was possible when the sky grew dark. The children disappeared and the garden turned into a deserted forest. An eerie feeling consumed me and I shivered from fear. It became so dark that I couldn't see anything. I felt the ground beneath me shift but before I fell, a hand gripped mine firmly.

“Follow me" it whispered

It was the same voice that had spoken to me before so I ran after it. The ground was unstable, shifting and turning at each step I took. The only reason why I was still upright was the strong hand that held me steady.

Heavy footsteps could be heard gaining on us from behind. Whatever it was, felt like evil, I could feel it reaching for my soul and trying to consume my aura. 

“Faster" 

I picked up the pace and ran as fast as I could but the faster I ran, the closer the echoes of the sound got. My heart was about to explode with dread and I was running out of breath. I felt its fingertips on my being and I screamed out in fright. Just as it was about to take me, my soul was pushed into my body and I woke up with a start.

Familiar surroundings put my mind at ease and I tried to calm myself down. Whatever it was couldn't reach me in this realm so I was safe. 

I went about my day as normally as I could but I couldn't shake my mind free of what had happened earlier. Even the Christmas tide couldn't brighten up my spirit and the sound of the bells did nothing to spark my soul. 

Traveling through realms wasn't new to me as I've been doing so for years but never have I ever encountered something like that before. I learned from my mother to always follow the bright path whenever I traveled and I'd always followed her advice. Whatever that force was, had no business in the realm I visited. After much deliberation, I decided not to travel anymore until I figured out what was wrong.

Before going to bed I called my mom to inform her of my encounter. She sounded worried and told me to cease traveling. According to her, I must have gone farther than I thought to have attracted Evil. She has always told me my aura was a beacon to both Good and Evil entities and to be careful how far I went. 

The moon was shining extra bright that it pricked my skin. No stars were in sight and the shape of the moon was wrong. I heard echoes of familiar giggles from afar and my heart rate shot off the roof.

“No! No! No!" I changed

I wasn't supposed to be here but somehow I was. My soul had traveled without my consent and I was in unknown territory with no idea of what to do. The children ran past me, giggling and in joyful spirits just like before.

“You shouldn't be here," the voice said

“Go back, you don't belong here"

It was right, I didn't belong here but I had no idea how to go back.

“I don't know how to go back, please help" I cried

"She'll come for you, she will, and when she does, she'll take back her body”

Its words rang deep and I remembered stories my mama had told of evil entities occupying the bodies of travelers to wreak havoc in the world. I needed to get back so I pleaded with the blank-faced child to help me get back.

The sky sparked and lightning struck the entity in front of me, reducing it to liquid and ash. I screamed as the children were picked off one after the other; disintegrating into liquid and ash. Darkness crept in and that familiar eerie feeling consumed me.

I ran as fast as I could, stumbling over vines and spikes, but no matter how fast I ran, I could feel the evil on my heels. 

“Follow the light" my Mama's voice echoed and I did. I followed my heart and went through realms known and unknown until I got to mine. There I was, lying peacefully in my chair, I must have wandered off while I fell asleep at the table.

I was about to enter my body when my body groaned, turned, and awoke from her slumber. Her eyes glowed red and she stared right at me with a crooked smile on her face. She got up to stretch and flexed her fingers as if she was testing out the body.

“No!" I screamed

“Give me back my body" 

The entity screeched and crackled at my words. She smelt of decay and dirt, her aura was that of evil and when she spoke, a foul smell emitted from her mouth. 

“The body is mine, you stole it from me when I was little and locked me in the Forever Realm.

Don't you remember? 

You stalked me as a kid and lured me into hell so you could steal my body. Now, it's your turn to suffer.”

I couldn't believe a word of what she said. She must be lying for I've always had my body ever since I could remember. A strong wind blew and I felt myself being picked away. I fought to hold onto anything; scratching, screaming, pleading yet all was for naught as the wind took me through realms into the Forever Realm where I'd remain lost forever.