Frozen Solitude

'What has become of me?'

'How could there be nothing? Where did it go?' Various questions ran wild through my mind and i suddenly felt a burning sensation of curiosity and a desire to find this figure again. 'Will it remember me?'  I picked up an old lantern and used a candle to rekindle the flame that had got me through many bleak and dreary nights alone. Taking a heavy breath, I stepped out into the night once more in seach of the source of my childhood insomnia.

The cold winds appeared to have died down and the night was silent once again. I didn't like that, not at all. The silence made me feel slightly wary of my surroundings; it was an advantage yes, but I longed for some sort of noise to comfort me with the fact I wasn't alone. A twig cracked, sending a sound ringing through the trees. I gyrated around to check for a possible origin of the sound, but nothing could be found.

"Come out you coward!" I roared into the night. "I demand you come out this instant! You don't know who you're dealing with!" 

I felt a sudden chill hit the back of my neck.

"Oh but I do, Edwin Clarence Arrington..."

My head shot around to see nothing but darkness, again. My blood started to chill and I was aware that this was no longer the mere nuisance of a bypasser as I'd led myself to believe. Father was wrong, very wrong. This had to be paranormal, I was sure of it, what other possible explanantion was there? I'm not crazy, this can't be a human's doing. 

"How do you know my name?" I called back into the shadows

I heard nothing but silence

"I don't know who or what you are, but please, just leave me to continue my work. I beg of you." I pleaded

"Oh you'd like that wouldn't you? Finish your work, pack your things and head back to your family. You want to leave me again?"

"Excuse me? What do you mean again?"

"Don't you remember me Edwin?"

"No, no you can't be."

"Oh but I am Edwin. You let me die Edwin, you just stood there Edwin" The darkness sounded empty and blank. No expression and no life. 

"No, no no no no NO!"

I struck out in all directions with my fists, punching into the darkness in some sort of attempt to harm the figure. After a minute or two of this, I collapsed onto the floor. 'What has become of me?' I laid on the snow and stared up at the sky. 

"You're crazy" A whisper said in my ear

I covered my face with my hands. 'It's just messing with you Edwin, pull yourself together man!'  I told myself 'When you open your eyes, you will get up, go back to the cabin and finish that work!'  I removed my hands from my eyes. I slowly opened them to see a dark figure staring down at me. I blinked a couple of times to regain focus and all was clear now, it was him.