7. The Shadow Lake

"The Shadow Lake!", both me and John exclaimed together after hearing the plan to visit that place. We both were excited. That place was home to our childhood memories. We used to visit that lake often with our Uncle and spent hours playing near it. The lake was not that deep in the forest and was less than a mile away. "Pull up your socks, We will set off in an hour." Both me and John ran to our rooms and started packing all the required stuff. "Cash! Wouldn't it be fun to visit that place after so long", John asked me amused. Even I replied in a startled manner. "Yes! It will be full of adventure." I wondered what could I pack. Snacks. Of course! How can I survive such a beautiful journey without snacks? I set off to the kitchen. Auntie and Mom were already packing snacks. "Cash! Are you excited for your adventure ride?", my aunt asked while packing sandwiches for us. "Yes Aunty ! It will be fun."

I left the kitchen and looked out of the window. It was near afternoon and the weather seemed quite pleasant. My heart throbbed with excitement of the day. My hand lingered on the glass, I felt the warmth of the afternoon heat on my palm. I took a moment to appreciate the bracelet that shone beautifully in the sunshine but my hand shivered all of a sudden at the sight of another hand embracing mine from the other side of the glass. I was motionless, horror struck and a loud scream filled the hall. "Stop screaming, It's me!!!" , the figure behind glass spoke in a muffled voice. It was Catherine. Meanwhile, Uncle and Dad busted in the hall terrified hearing the scream. "I am Okay, it was Catherine, she scared me.", I assured them. I heard Catherine giggling behind the window. Catherine was a good friend to me. She lived in the neighborhood with her widowed mom. We used to go to the same school before I moved out. "Aah, here we found a companion", my dad exclaimed joyfully. "Cathy, would you mind accompanying us to the shadow lake". I heard Catherine giggle once again. "Sure! Why not Uncle".