My name is Jenny. I've just turned 19. I'm 5.7, long, light brown hair, hazel eyes, 115 lbs. Everyone says I'm attractive, but I don't know if that's true.
My story is so surreal, so strange, I don't think anyone will ever believe me, at times, I don't believe it myself.
What happened to me over a year ago, and it kept happening, in recurring, evolving dreams, nightmares, makes it real to me. Maybe they were just dreams or maybe they were something else, I don't truly know.
I do know, that after last night, I have an awareness, a sense, they are not coming back.
For over the past year I've been afraid to fall sleep and then again, anticipating, yearning for the next full moon. That is when the visions would come alive. They were always so vivid, so real. The full moon, just over one year ago, that is when it all started. That's when it all began.
Both my parents are schoolteachers, they always had summers off to travel, dragging my brother, Jake, two years my junior, and myself along.
They loved to go exploring back roads, small towns, antique and curio shops. We'd stay at little B and B's.
This year was special for two reasons, first, it would be our last as a family together, after we got back home in early August, I am heading out of state to college and freedom, second, instead of spending the whole time driving around in out of the way obscure, places, our parents promised us, after weaving our way from our home in upper state New York, through the middle of Delaware, we'd stop in Ocean City, Maryland for a week at the beach. Usually, we just kept going for the entire month, checking out tired little towns. This year, there was light at the end of the tedious boredom.
I remember when we pulled off Route 13 into the town of Oak Noll, in the middle of nowhere, Delaware. It was typical of the places we would stop. Small old town section, with a newer section adjacent. Jake and I smiled at each other when we passed a Walmart and Target. Signs of civilization.
After finding a B&B on the far side of the town, we settled in. Mom and dad, of course said they wanted to explore to shops. Jake wanted to play his video games. I just wanted to take a walk in the lovely little park next to the house and stretch my legs.
It was a little after one when I started down the path. There was an old wooden sign marking the park's entrance, "CANTERVILLE". It looked beautiful and inviting with its combination of various sizes of oak and sweet, scented pine trees
It was a charming, quiet, somewhat hot afternoon. I was wearing a t-shirt and cutoff jeans and walking shoes. The trees canopy provided the shade.
After about fifteen minutes I noticed a man and a dog walking up the path towards me. The dog spotted me too and bounded toward me. I saw it was a golden retriever.
The man shouted, "He's friendly." I bent down to greet the pup and was met with a slobbering kiss.
I petted the friendly little guy. "His name is Buck.", said his owner. The man was about six feet, stocky, wearing a short sleeve shirt and pants.
I smiled up at him. He looked down at me and asked, "You staying at the Brentwood place?"
I smiled and answered, "Yes", still petting the pup.
He then said matter-a-factly, "Make sure you're out of the woods by dusk, there's a full moon tonight and..." He didn't finish, but repeated, "Just make sure you're not out here after the sunsets."
I nodded, "Okay". Stood. "Nice to meet you, Buck." Gave him one last pet, told the man, "Well, see ya.", waved and walked down the path, thinking, what could be so scary out here, maybe it was a law or something.
Back at the B&B, I showered, read, and about 7 we all went to a little diner to eat. The few people in the place gave us curious looks. Just before 8, everyone in the place got up to leave.
The waitress came over with our check and said, "You staying at Brentwood?".
My dad replied we were.
"Good idea to stay in tonight and relax. Sunsets around 8:30."
We all smiled at each other and when we left my mom said, "Well, that was queer." We all laughed and went back to the B&B.