June, 2003: Dottie
Harsh winds collided with the eight year old's window, rattling the frame. Whispers traveled through the cracks, and tickled her ears.
"Dottie...Dottie...Dottie..." The voice trailed off with sinister precision, stirring the small child awake.
Sweat beads trickled off her forehead as she shot up in bed and clutched the sheets to herself. It hadn't been the first time she'd been woken by whispers of her name. Furthermore, she knew what time it was without peeking at the analog clock next to her.
3 a.m.
The same time. Every night. Her body shook with fear.
"Go away. Please. I want to sleep." She whimpered inching further underneath the sheets.
The wind roared louder, and the windowpane shivered under the impact. Dottie clenched her eyes shut, and pleaded with the angels to make it stop. The ferocity subsided soon after, and she peeked her head out to asses the danger.
"Dottie..."
Her eyes briefly scanned for the location of the voice to the corner of the room.
A squeak escaped her throat, and she flung the sheets over her once again. Tears threatened to form in her eyes, and she tried to blink them away. The silver haired woman with crooked teeth had returned, and Dottie wanted nothing more than for her to vanish. She had a sleepover at Neveah's next week, the first one she'd ever been invited to, and that woman would ruin it.
"Go. Away!" She screamed, trying to hide her fear.
"Dottie! Are you okay?" Her mother called from down the hall.
"Mommy, Mommy, there's a woman in my room!" She shrieked through her tears.
The woman before her frowned, crossing her arms before she dissipated into the pale pink walls. Mere moments before her mother barged in, frantic and wide eyed.
"What's going on?" She asked, taking Dottie into her arms.
"Mommy, she was here again! I swear! She had silver hair, an-and crooked teeth." She cried, holding tighter to her.
She felt her mother stiffen, then softly caress her hair, and place a light kiss onto the top of her head.
"Oh, Dottie-bug, it was just a dream. Go back to sleep, you've got school in the morning." She murmured against the blonde curls.
She wished her mother would listen to her for once. That she'd been fully awake, and had seen her.
She wished that her mother for once could see what she did, feel what she did. That way, Dottie wouldn't have felt so alone.