“All I can remember from the attack was thousands of tiny stingers penetrating every inch of my flesh. Then there was the buzzing that sounded more like a roar. The ordeal lasted for only about ten minutes. Ten minutes of pure terror,” I explained to my choral director, Mr. Boardman, “Then I felt a cold liquid wash over me, burning the already dreadfully painful wounds.” He hadn’t understood my fear when I saw the one lone bee drifting from flower to flower but seemed to be getting it now.

            “Wow!” he said blankly, “That must have been scary.”

            “Scary?!?” I exclaimed, “Hardly! It was horrifying! Especially since I was only four at the time. You see, Mr. Boardman, you need to have more of an open mind about things.”

            “Really?” he asked sarcastically.

            “Yes, really! You always think I’m over-exaggerating!” I said, trying to get through to him. It didn’t seem to be working.

            “Well, you do tend to over-react a little.”

            “You’re just saying that because I’m a girl. And I obviously have you completely baffled about how the female mind works,” I retorted, laughing at the totally confused look on his face.

 

 

            I readied myself for the huge swell that was headed my way. It was the biggest wave I had seen all day so I was determined to get this right.

            “Ya ready, sweetheart?” Kadd called.

            “Most defiantly!” I called back, giving him a thumbs up as the wave lifted us.

            Kadd and I stood in unison, our feet firmly planted on the boards. I looked ahead, my eyes locked on the wave. Because I was so focused on the wave I didn’t notice the dark shape right beside my board. Nor did I notice the one on the other side and behind me until it was too late. Before I knew what was happening the shadowy figures launched from the water. A scream ripped from my throat as I stared into the gaping jaws of the most feared predator in the ocean. Lord, protect me, I prayed as the sharks dragged me under the now blood filled water. Unbearable pain shot through my left arm, right leg, and side as the monsters, which had haunted many of my dreams, tried to rip me apart.

After what seemed like an eternity but was only about a few seconds the sharks released me and fled.

When I opened my eyes, I was in Kadd’s arms. Nikkie was walking quickly beside him. She wore an expression that brought tears to my eyes. Seconds later I was out again.

The second time I woke I was at the hospital with a tube down my throat. My whole body throbbed with the pain of my injuries. My eyes darted around the room searching for Kadd and Nikkie. I found them at the side of my bed. Both looked like they had been crying. I coughed to let them know I was awake, Nikkie let a sigh of relief and Kadd let broke into tears.

“Emma, are you alright?” Kadd choked.

Since I couldn’t talk I just put my hand on his. Then I gave him a look that said, “I’ll be fine.”

 

 

            As I sprinted down the road I could tell that my pursuer was hot on my trail. Thank God I’m on the track team, I thought. My legs and lungs begged for rest but that wasn’t going to happen. I could feel my injured leg start to give.

            “Oh, please don’t fail me now, legs!” I pleaded.

            I dashed through the park, along the creek, and down another road. I knew that I couldn’t run at this speed for much longer before my body gave in but I didn’t have much farther to go now. Just then my stalker launched out of the bushes, cutting me off. I screamed as I tried to stop myself. It was too late; we collided. Thank God we did because that stunned him long enough to let me escape.

 

            “Ouch!” I cried as I was thrown from my bunk, “What in the world’s going on?”

            I stumbled over to the light switch and just managed to flick it on before I crashed into the wall. I groaned when I finally realized what was happening. I had to wake everybody, sound the alarms, then get everyone into lifeboat, and quick!

            I ran down the hallways banging on all the doors, telling people to go out onto the deck. Finally, I found the first alarm. The boat rocked and I was thrown into the wall (again). My head hit the lever and I was nearly knocked unconscious.

            “Hang in there, girl!” I told myself. Quickly, I pulled the lever and flashed up the stairs to sound the next one. There was one alarm on each level of the Luinda and I had to set them all off.

            I had just pulled the third alarm when I heard the fourth one go off. Another worker must have woken up and realized what was going on. The boat lurched once more and once again I’m slammed into the wall.

            Twenty minutes later, everyone was on deck, and was being loaded into lifeboats.

 

            I stared at the black water, saddened by the thought of our captain staying aboard the ship while we made our way to safety. Everyone stopped rowing and turned toward the sinking ship that would soon be completely submerged.

            “She was a beauty, a gorgeous old ship,” someone said softly.

            “It’s a shame Captain Maro chose to stay behind,” another whispered.

            We all sent up a silent prayer, then turned and started towards the awaiting rescue ships.

 

            I made my way to the top of the escarpment, running my hands along the rough rock, all the while telling myself, ‘Don’t look down.’ While trying to find a foothold I did the stupidest thing a person with a fear of heights could do: I looked down. The ground seemed to rush at me then drop. My grip on the rock tightened.

            “Get a hold of yourself!” I whispered, trying to calm down. As I got a hold of myself, my hold on the now loose granite slipped. I screamed and grabbed franticly at the cliff face. I slid down further and further. A stream of blood was flowing from my arms and knees. It felt as if the cliff was trying to tear the skin off my bones.

            All of a sudden, I started to slip faster as I almost went flying off a ledge. With my heart beating rapidly, I scrambled onto the narrow ledge. (Well, at least at least tried to anyway.) I let out a deep sigh of relief when I had finally climbed up.

            “Here we go again,” I said, brushing the shock of the fall aside and readying myself to climb back up the wall of stone.

 

            I was sitting in my room, engrossed in one of my favorite books when the phone rang.

            “Not now!” I groaned, throwing my head back in annoyance. I tried to ignore the persistent ringing but couldn’t.

            “Alright!” I shouted as I slammed down my novel.

            “Hello?” I asked irritably. Instead of getting an answer I heard heavy breathing on the other line.

            “Hello?” I asked again.

            “I know you’re alone,” said a harsh voice.

            “What?” I cried, “Who is this?”

            “But you won’t be for l-,” his voice suddenly cut off.

            “Excuse me?” I questioned, but he didn’t hear me. The line was dead.

            Oh, well, I thought, probably just some idiot with nothing better to do besides bother other people. (How wrong I was.) I hung up the phoneand got back to my book. Seconds later the phone rings again.

            “What now?”

            “Hello?” I said with apparent irritation.

            “You won’t be lonely for long,” a familiar hushed voice whispered.

            “Who is this?”

            “I promise, I will stop by.”

            “Listen, you, you’d better stop calling!” I warned.

            “But I love your voice.”

            “What?” I asked, suddenly nervous.

            “I wish I could sit there and read with y-“ I slammed the receiver down. What’s going on? I thought with terror written plainly on my face. Slowly, I sat down and picked up my book. Moments later, what the whisperer had said had fully sank in.

            “My God!” I ran to all the doors and windows, locking them. When I had finally finished, I slumped back onto the couch. Ring! Ring! It was the phone again.

            Cautiously, I picked it up.

            “H-hello?”

            “That was a cute trick: locking all the doors and windows. But do you honestly think that will keep me out?” said the whisper that was now an angry, hard tone, “Don’t you know my love for you is unstoppable? Don’t you know that a door is but a minor obstacle on the path to your heart?”

            “Leave me ALONE!” I screamed, pitching the phone across the room. The back of it popped off and the battery flew out. I crashed onto the floor and cried.

            “Riiiiing” this time it was my cell.

            “Hello?” I sobbed.

            “Don’t cry. I’ll be there soon.”

            “No!” I gasped, “How did you get this number?”

            “My love knows no boundaries, remember?”

            “Stop calling me!”

            “Oh, don’t worry, I will. I’m tired of just hearing your voice. I want to see you. I want to hold you. Your voice isn’t enough anymore.” Click. The line went dead.

            “Hi.” I spun and there he was: the Whisperer.

            I backed into the wall as he advanced. He was there. He was real and there was nothing I could do about to. Unless. Yes! That’s it!

            “I thought you were coming by later,” I said, flirtatiously. I hope this works, I thought, nervously.

            “Huh?” he asked.

            “You aren’t supposed to be here, yet. I’m not ready.”

            “Excuse me?”

            “Oh, what the heck,” I rushed forward and jammed my elbow into his stomach. He doubled over in pain with a groan.

            “Oops,” I said, semi-apologetically as I ramped my knee into his head. That was all it took, amazingly: two hits and he was down and out. I darted past his seemingly lifeless body and dialed the three digit number I’d never forget.

 

            A year later finds me sitting in court, awaiting the verdict from the jury.

            “We, the jury, find the defendant guilty as charged.”

            I breathed a sigh of relief as the Whisperer was taken away to rot in jail.