The Sacrifice

Supernatural Stories | Oct 8, 2015 | 6 min read
20 Votes, average: 2 out of 5
Ashton and Jasmine had married two months ago and decided to stay in Jasmine's spacious apartment. However this arrangement was not working for Ashton; he was a writer and worked from home. With all the noise of living on the first floor of an apartment building on a busy street in the City was a recipe for one distraction after another. He was feeling the pinch from his editor but he could not work under these conditions. Aston was a well-known author; eleven of his books had been published, three of which were Bestsellers but for the past two years he had not written anything. Ashton had no other choice but to phone his realtor, Samantha. She was a real gem, four days later she found a house in the country. It was picture-perfect in every sense of the word; double story with large windows overlooking the lake, the view was breath-taking. When Jasmine saw the upstairs study, she knew Ashton would do his best writing there as it was so peaceful and serene, just what he needed to create a masterpiece.

The only thing that bothered Ashton was the price; how could a luxurious lakefront house be on the market at such a low price? Samantha explained that the owner built the home for his family and seven days before they were to move in tragedy struck; his wife and three sons died in a horrific car accident. The owner wanted to sell it as soon as possible, cut his losses and move back to England.

Ashton wasted no time, once they had unpacked the last of the boxes; he disappeared into his study and started working on his new book. He had not felt this inspired in years; the words just flowed as he frantically typed away on his laptop. Jasmine had not seen Ashton this passionate or motivated in a long time. That evening during dinner when she suggested a house warming party he welcomed the idea. Their family and friends were amazed and in awe when they saw the magnificent house with its panoramic view. Jasmine had never felt happier, her life was perfect.

She awoke to the sound of birds chirping outside, Ashton's side of the bed was empty. As she descended the stairs, the aroma of bacon and eggs awakened her stomach as it growled loudly. They sat on the sun-filled terrace overlooking the waterfront enjoying their breakfast. Jasmine decided to take a stroll to the lake as she knew Ashton would be upstairs in his study for the rest of the morning. The lake was so inviting; she took her shoes off and wondered in. The refreshing water invigorated her and she ventured further. While standing waist deep in the water she felt something wrap itself around her ankles, she tried to lift her feet but lost her balance and fell into the water. It was too muddy to see but it felt like her ankles were entangled in weeds, she tugged at the obstacle feeling sharp thorns piercing her skin. Desperate to free herself from the torturous vise, she yanked as hard as she could, the thorns tour into her skin turning the surrounding water red. Eventually she freed herself and she stumbled out the water. When Jasmine reached the shore her ankles and hands were bleeding profusely.

Once at home she rushed to the bathroom to attend to her wounds, the cuts were deep but did not need stiches. She applied bandages to all four areas and went to Aston`s study. When he saw her the look on his face was not of concern but rather of shameful guilt!!! Aston helped Jasmine to the bedroom, he went to the medicine cabinet to get some painkillers for her but his hands were trembling so badly he dropped the tablets a couple of times. When he returned to his study he tried to get back to work but he could not focus on his writing; he needed a drink and a strong one at that.

Two weeks later their neighbours; Martin and Tammy invited them to spend the day on their boat. Jasmine knew wild horses would not tear Ashton away from his writing; he seemed obsessed with his new book. So the three of them headed out to the lake, after lying on the deck for a while Jasmine began to feel the heat of the midday sun so she dived into the water to cool off. She swam quite a distance from the boat then lay on her back and floated enjoying the water. Jasmine gasped as she was sucked under the water, it felt like an underwater current was pulling her towards the bed of the lake. She lost all sense of direction in the murky water as the current pulled her further away from the surface. Consciousness ebbed away as all the air expelled from her lungs. Before she drifted off into nothingness, a figure floated before her, beckoning her.
She lay on the boat spewing water out her mouth, Martin and Tammy leaned over her with concerned looks on their faces. When they reached the house, Ashton was standing by the sliding doors waiting for them, it seemed as if he already knew what had happened and was deathly pale.

While Tammy gave Jasmine a sedative and put her to bed, Michael sat with Ashton explaining how he had rescued Jasmine. When Michael and Tammy left Ashton sat on the terrace weeping, despair flooded his soul. He knew this book was going to be a masterpiece but did his writing career mean more to him than his loving wife? Was he prepared to give up the person he loved the most to keep his artistic flair alive?

Jasmine could not understand why she was so entranced by the lake. It frightened her yet she was drawn to it like a moth to a flame. She crept out of the house during the middle of the night and walked to the lake. When she reached the shore she took off her night clothing and stepped into the water. She was waste deep when skeletal hands rose above the water to welcome her. Jasmine was not afraid and did not struggle when they took hold of her arms and drew her deeper into the water. She now knew what was expected of her; she was to be the sacrifice he needed.

Ashton stood by the bedroom window as he saw Jasmine making her way to the Lake. He did not try to stop her, he also knew it would be the last time he would see her; they would take her tonight. Whether the events surrounding Jasmine inspired him to write or his writing had triggered the events he was not sure. His mind was too consumed with finishing the book to make sense of it all. He walked to his study to write the final chapter. The end of the book would end Jasmine's life.

The Search Party combed the lake for days but Jasmine's body was never found. Her lifeless corpse would forever be buried at the bottom of the lake. Ashton estimated a mourning period of six months would be long enough to show his respect for his late wife before he published his new book. My Inspiration by Ashton Mayor was a smashing success; it held the number one Bestsellers position for five months.

Ashton sat in his study it was time to start the Sequel to 'My Inspiration'. As his fingers hovered over the keyboard he wondered who his new characters would be or more precisely his 'new victims'. He looked towards the lake and saw three children playing; his fingers began to type frantically.

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