THE BITTER LAKE
An Original Listener Terror
Written by Alara Ullah, age 11

It was mid autumn and could not possibly ever have been colder, rainier or more bitter than it was now in Bitter Hollow. April Carter trudged through the autumn leaves, her backpack digging into her shoulders, walking back from school. The winding path that lay ahead was long and muddy. The rain thundered down. Dead, bare trees towered over the path. Next to her, her best friend Layla Gardener, walked beside her, also wearing a backpack and a weary expression. The day couldn’t be more miserable. The trees in the deep, dark forest beside them were in an intense fight; the wind was strong and vicious.
Just visible behind the tree was the lake; The Bitter Lake. A strange name, April had once thought to herself, but that quickly was answered by the strangeness of Bitter Hollow. The lake appeared to thrash wildly, also seemingly battling with itself aggressively.
As she walked, April hoped the storm would ease up a little, but it only got worse. Layla stopped suddenly, peering through the trees at the lake.
“That lake is so weird.”
“What? I mean, yeah I guess…”
“It’s just that I was wondering — we’ve never been up to it before…”
April frowned. “I know. And?”
“We could go now.”
“In this? Are you crazy? The storm is one of the worst ever!”
“That lake is so weird,” she repeated, looking a little dazed. She shook her head. “Come on.”
“People have seen things! Remember? Ellie Simmons said she saw money.”
Layla rolled her eyes. “Simmons? Yeah she sees money everywhere.”
“And Tom Miller said–”
“He said a bunch of random things that were obviously a lie. A TV and gaming consoles? That’s ridiculous, those aren’t things you see in a lake, but things people hallucinate because they really really want them.”
“Well, Katie Evans saw an animal! A hurt one! She wanted to help it, she tried asking for some others to come first, but everybody was busy.”
“How…”
“There’s one thing they all have in common! All these people who have seen things!” April cried desperately. She paused to catch her breath then whispered, “They’ve all gone missing.”
Layla hesitated, then nodded, but then caught sight of something in the lake. “That lake is so weird,” she said once more.
“What is it? What do you see?” April asked, finally understanding
“What? Nothing it’s just–”
“What. Do. You. See?” April demanded.
“A necklace! Can you see it gleaming in the sun? And that ruby in the middle? So HUGE!” She whispered excitedly.
Sun?
“Layla there’s no sun, it’s just clouds–”
“Be quiet April!” she interrupted bitterly. “I’m going.”
She set off, running towards The Bitter Lake. She threw off her backpack and coat, and kept going. April looked around, looking for anybody who could stop her, but saw no one. She put her backpack down and followed her, calling out every so often.
There was a blood-curdling scream. It chilled every bone in April’s body.
She stopped.
There was no sign of Layla, and possibly even worse; April was lost. Only the lake was visible, as it was large and different to its surroundings, unlike the narrow, winding path she was previously following.
As she neared the lake, April could only now appreciate how appropriate the name was. Bitter indeed, with its grey water crashing against itself, the pier looked isolated, extending out into the dangerous water as if it were reaching out. But most strange of all, even in the rain, the storm, the wind, April could see lights; lights under the lake. They were dull and grey, but bright and strangely clearly visible.
April stepped closer to the massive lake, and peered at the lights. They were definitely there. Suddenly remembering what she had come for, she examined her surroundings more carefully, not just the lake. Layla wasn’t here.
But that scream sounded so much like her…
There was an odd sound, and it took April a moment to realize what it was.
Whispering.
“Help us. You’ll help us, won’t you…?”
It was coming from…
The Bitter Lake.
A hand shot up from the ghostly waters. It was pale and belonged to a child, April was sure of it. The whispers were louder, more desperate now. April approached the lake, stepping onto the pier. She had to help the person in the lake…
It was a child, drowning in the lake. That was all. So why did she feel so uneasy looking at the hand. It didn’t look quite right.
It was too late. April reached for the hand. It reached back and grabbed her hand.
“YES. Come join us…”
High-pitched laughter followed. The hand was cold and smooth. It pulled her in, its grip too strong for her. She was sucked in by a torrent of freezing cold water. It was all around her as she plunged into an icy darkness. Moments later, she realized her eyes were closed. As she opened them, April realized she was unsure of which way was up. All sense of direction was lost, and there were two sources of light.
She swam towards one, but quickly realized it wasn’t the right one. The light had just — gone out.
…and she felt thousands of things grabbing her!
They weren’t weeds but hands.
Then she saw it, by the flickering light; hundreds of dolls, and even more doll hands reaching out to grasp and scratch any part of her.
The light went out, and April felt something impossibly painful. Then it felt like her stomach was completely empty as she lost all feeling.
She tried to scream, but it was no use…

Coming Soon to the Micro Terrors Podcast! Release Date: To Be Determined…