The Horror Book

Tara

The rosewood box was on the coffee table, the photographs spread out across the glass surface. Two candles and a small lamp lit the room. Everything had to be exactly as it was that first time. The slightest change and it wouldn't work. The whiskey bottle and half empty glass were in their places. Everything was perfect. All Vic had to do was find the right picture. The one from the rose garden.

He didn't have to look very hard to find it. Ever since the first time, he kept it close to the top of the pile. He looked at the picture, concentrating on her face. Tara. In the picture, she was smiling in front of a trellis of climbing roses, so beautiful... It had been two and a half years since she died.

Vic leaned back on the couch, closed his eyes, and waited.

Then it began.

The room filled with her scent. This was as close as she had gotten the first time, before Vic opened his eyes, ending her visit. Soft footsteps on the carpet, coming down the hall. The weight of a person sitting on the cushion next to him. This is where it usually ended. Vic could never keep his eyes closed.

Tara was there.

A cool hand touched his, holding it gently. He shook with effort, struggling not to open his eyes.

"I miss you so much..." He said.

As if from a great distance, Tara's voice came to him. "Open your eyes!" She screamed, her voice full of terror.

"Open your eyes and run! That isn't me!"

Vic opened his eyes. And he began to scream.