I awoke in the middle of the night. Next to me I could hear my tentmate snoring and fast asleep. I rose up and put on a pair of trousers, feeling I needed to escape the tent for a moment to relieve myself.
Outside was gloomy with the climbing full moon being the sole source of light. Its image could be seen reflected on the calm lake we'd set up camp by the evening before. A slow chill blew across from the water, encouraging me to hurry up my pace. I moseyed off behind a bush and some reed and unzipped. Everything was silent.
Suddenly I heard a sound far off, coming from the other side of the lake. It sounded like a shriek, somewhere between a spinning car-wheel and a young woman. As I peered out for the source a tiny speck of light appeared on the opposite beach. I tried to focus and distinguish what it was and noticed it growing. It grew and grew, seemingly moving across the lake towards me. The light turned into the shape of a woman, wearing a white dress with her dark hair flapping in the wind behind her. Her face was twisted and contorted into gaping maw.
I immediately ran back to the tent, screaming for my friend to wake up so we could leave. They awoke as I were shaking their sleeping bag and wondered what the fuss was about. I tried to explain what I had seen while at the same time ensuring them that there was no time. We had to leave, now! They got up and peeked out the tent flap and sighed. They said there was nothing out there, I had just been dreaming.
We laid down again to sleep and my friend soon began snoring. As I closed my eyes I could hear a familiar shriek from outside the tent.
