Teddy Bear
By Chyna Vandum
Click.
I smiled and took my camera back from the kind man who had taken a picture of my new husband and me. "Thank you!"
"No problem. Enjoy your vacation," he said before walking down the pier.
"How's the picture look?" I smiled as I felt my husband take my hand gently. Our honeymoon was going to be great!
I unlocked my phone and went into the photos app and clicked the most recent one. I frowned a bit at the image; standing next to my husband was a small, slightly translucent figure. I could barely make out what it was, but the shape looked fairly human.
"You look cute." I felt my husband softly kiss the top of my head. I smiled a little bit, but didn't look away from the picture and the weird shape. "Is something wrong?"
"James, do you see that thing next to you in the picture?"
I handed him my phone and pointed at what I saw watching for his reaction. I watched him squint at the image. "I don't see anything."
"It’s standing right next to you…it kind of looks like a small person."
He gave me a look before looking at the picture for another moment and handing the phone back to me. "I don't see anything. Maybe it was just the light you saw? Cameras mess up all the time."
"Yeah, you're probably right…"
He smiled as I took the phone and slid it into my pocket. "Nothing's going to ruin our honeymoon."
I nodded and smiled as we both continued to walk down the pier.
It was three days later and I had basically put the whole picture incident out of my mind as I walked on the beach with James and the soft sand ran between my toes. "I'll be right back. I just have to go to the restroom," I said as I dropped his hand and turned to head back up the beach.
"Alright. I'll be here waiting for you when you get back."
I nodded as I headed to the bathrooms, pulling out my lipstick while I stood in front of the long mirror above the row of sinks. I looked up at my reflection while applying lipstick and after a moment, I froze. In the mirror, next to my reflection was that figure again, only this time much more defined and visible.
It definitely was a person, and from the figures shape, it was probably a girl around six or seven. I could see that her hair was curly and about shoulder length; her eyes also appeared to be sunken in and empty, though I could still feel them watching my every move. Her arms were limp by her sides, and one of her hands seemed to be clasped around a teddy bear.
I bit my lip as I glanced next to where I was standing, expecting to see her standing there, but there was nothing, and when I looked back at the mirror she was gone. All I saw was my own wide-eyed, pale image staring back at me. I blinked a few times, looking over my shoulder as I quickly left and headed back out to the beach, constantly getting the feeling that I was being watched and never seeing anything there.
I quickly headed back to where James was standing and watching some surfers. I took his hand and pulled him back toward the hotel, "Come on, I want to go back to our room."
"Honey, what's wrong? We just got down here. Why do you look so pale?"
"I saw that thing again, in the mirror. It was watching me."
"What thing?"
"From the picture!"
"Of us? There wasn't anything there; it was just the light."
I sighed in frustration and shook my head, "But I saw it… it looked like a little girl! She was holding a teddy bear!"
"Darling, you're just paranoid. Don't let this thing ruin our honeymoon." He kissed my cheek softly and gave me a small smile. "But, if you're really that scared, we can go back to the hotel and enjoy the honeymoon there."
I smiled a bit and nodded, walking back towards the hotel hand-in-hand with James.
I woke up to darkness, and looked at the bedside clock and I saw that it was only five in the morning. Carefully as to not wake James, I climbed out of our bed and slid on one of the hotel's thick and comfy robes before walking to the bathroom for a relaxing shower.
I closed the door behind me and flicked on the light, freezing with my finger still on the switch. Standing about a yard away from me was that girl again, only this time fully formed and visible.
She was wearing a thin white dress that matched her pale skin and had bare feet. I watched her blink a few times while observing me, the snow white bear still latched firmly in her hand. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. The girl looked into my eyes and quietly said, "Mommy?"
Then I started screaming.
James's POV
I yawned as I rolled over in bed, rubbing my eyes a bit and running my fingers through my hair as I sat up, gazing out the window towards the beach. It was another bright and sunny day in paradise. Maybe today my wife would want to go to the beach and would forget about whatever it was she had seen.
I reached over to her side of the bed and my hand was met with cold, empty sheets. Curiously, I looked over to where she should have been sleeping. It was so unlike her to be out of bed already. I didn't see my wife, just a small, snow white bear.
How strange…
I smiled and took my camera back from the kind man who had taken a picture of my new husband and me. "Thank you!"
"No problem. Enjoy your vacation," he said before walking down the pier.
"How's the picture look?" I smiled as I felt my husband take my hand gently. Our honeymoon was going to be great!
I unlocked my phone and went into the photos app and clicked the most recent one. I frowned a bit at the image; standing next to my husband was a small, slightly translucent figure. I could barely make out what it was, but the shape looked fairly human.
"You look cute." I felt my husband softly kiss the top of my head. I smiled a little bit, but didn't look away from the picture and the weird shape. "Is something wrong?"
"James, do you see that thing next to you in the picture?"
I handed him my phone and pointed at what I saw watching for his reaction. I watched him squint at the image. "I don't see anything."
"It’s standing right next to you…it kind of looks like a small person."
He gave me a look before looking at the picture for another moment and handing the phone back to me. "I don't see anything. Maybe it was just the light you saw? Cameras mess up all the time."
"Yeah, you're probably right…"
He smiled as I took the phone and slid it into my pocket. "Nothing's going to ruin our honeymoon."
I nodded and smiled as we both continued to walk down the pier.
It was three days later and I had basically put the whole picture incident out of my mind as I walked on the beach with James and the soft sand ran between my toes. "I'll be right back. I just have to go to the restroom," I said as I dropped his hand and turned to head back up the beach.
"Alright. I'll be here waiting for you when you get back."
I nodded as I headed to the bathrooms, pulling out my lipstick while I stood in front of the long mirror above the row of sinks. I looked up at my reflection while applying lipstick and after a moment, I froze. In the mirror, next to my reflection was that figure again, only this time much more defined and visible.
It definitely was a person, and from the figures shape, it was probably a girl around six or seven. I could see that her hair was curly and about shoulder length; her eyes also appeared to be sunken in and empty, though I could still feel them watching my every move. Her arms were limp by her sides, and one of her hands seemed to be clasped around a teddy bear.
I bit my lip as I glanced next to where I was standing, expecting to see her standing there, but there was nothing, and when I looked back at the mirror she was gone. All I saw was my own wide-eyed, pale image staring back at me. I blinked a few times, looking over my shoulder as I quickly left and headed back out to the beach, constantly getting the feeling that I was being watched and never seeing anything there.
I quickly headed back to where James was standing and watching some surfers. I took his hand and pulled him back toward the hotel, "Come on, I want to go back to our room."
"Honey, what's wrong? We just got down here. Why do you look so pale?"
"I saw that thing again, in the mirror. It was watching me."
"What thing?"
"From the picture!"
"Of us? There wasn't anything there; it was just the light."
I sighed in frustration and shook my head, "But I saw it… it looked like a little girl! She was holding a teddy bear!"
"Darling, you're just paranoid. Don't let this thing ruin our honeymoon." He kissed my cheek softly and gave me a small smile. "But, if you're really that scared, we can go back to the hotel and enjoy the honeymoon there."
I smiled a bit and nodded, walking back towards the hotel hand-in-hand with James.
I woke up to darkness, and looked at the bedside clock and I saw that it was only five in the morning. Carefully as to not wake James, I climbed out of our bed and slid on one of the hotel's thick and comfy robes before walking to the bathroom for a relaxing shower.
I closed the door behind me and flicked on the light, freezing with my finger still on the switch. Standing about a yard away from me was that girl again, only this time fully formed and visible.
She was wearing a thin white dress that matched her pale skin and had bare feet. I watched her blink a few times while observing me, the snow white bear still latched firmly in her hand. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. The girl looked into my eyes and quietly said, "Mommy?"
Then I started screaming.
James's POV
I yawned as I rolled over in bed, rubbing my eyes a bit and running my fingers through my hair as I sat up, gazing out the window towards the beach. It was another bright and sunny day in paradise. Maybe today my wife would want to go to the beach and would forget about whatever it was she had seen.
I reached over to her side of the bed and my hand was met with cold, empty sheets. Curiously, I looked over to where she should have been sleeping. It was so unlike her to be out of bed already. I didn't see my wife, just a small, snow white bear.
How strange…
About the Author
My name is Chyna Vandum, and I am a sophomore at Indiana University of Pennsylvania studying Communications Disorders. I love reading and writing suspenseful stories. I hope to one day become an English to Braille translator as well as a Speech Pathologist. My favorite color is purple and my favorite animals are goats. Fun Fact: I was homeschooled as a child and my family owns a funeral home.