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Out of Reach
She stayed away. Never wandered too close to the ledge. The voice never stopped calling. Never stopped screaming out for Fenya. The voice was so close. But Fenya was afraid. She didn't like how the voice new her name. She didn't like that the voice sounded closer to her each day. She just wanted to see who screamed for someone to rescue her. But no matter what, Fenya could never bring herself to peek over the ledge. To look past the darkness and the mist, to find who called to her. No she couldn't. She was scared. She must ignore the calls.
One evening. Her family had fallen asleep early. They fell into a deep slumber. But Tanya couldn't sleep, and the voice new this.
"Fenya, help me. Please help me. I'm lost. I'm oh so lost. You can help me, I know it. Pull me from this darkness. Only you can save me Fenya. I need you!"
The voice never stopped. It kept yowling. The mountain girl frightened Fenya. She curled the blanket around herself and tried to ignore the voice. She hoped it would fade away. But tonight it didn't. Tonight the voice grew stronger and louder. She finally rose from her bed and dressed herself. She stuck her feet into her shoes and went her way towards the ledge. She stopped a few feet away. The voice new where the girl was. The voice was pleased that Fenya came.
"Have you come to save me? Please help me. I need you Fenya. I NEED YOU!"
The ground shook at the young girl's feet. She lost her balance and tumbled closer to the edge. The darkness below was visible. The layers of mist thicker than ever.
"Fenya, dear. You're so close. You can save me. You can fix this, fix me." Fenya could've sworn she saw a darker shadow flit past her vision. But it was too dark to tell. "Come closer Fenya, please. You can save US!" The voice multiplied and began to boom. Fenya tried to back away but it was too late. A clawed hand reached towards her and raked the edge of the cliff down. Fenya fell. She fell through the darkness and the mist. She fell through dead tree branches and webs. She fell into a pile of bones. Skulls of different sizes faced her. the musky smell of death entered her nostrils as she breathed in. She coughed at the smell. Her head swam as she struggled to stand.
"Fenya, save me!" The voice mocked the young girl. It laughed as it spoke. "Fenya, save us. PLEASE! Find us, help us! We're lost."
Fenya saw movement in the darkness. She struggled to move. Struggled to breathe. The clawed figure grasped the girl. It made her a new body. Gave her a new purpose. Changed her voice. Her thoughts weren't her own. Fenya. She was no longer herself. She called for children who were just barely Out Of Reach.