Whispers from Below

By Shafi Ulhaq

They always dared each other to go near the well.

It was a collapsed relic from the town’s mining days, tucked deep inside Black Hollow Woods. Covered by a rusted iron grate and surrounded by a collapsing stone rim, it stood like a warning — not a monument.

Everyone had heard the stories. Whispers echoing up at night. Shadows flickering just out of sight. They said a foreman had thrown himself in during a cave-in, swearing he’d return if the mine was ever disturbed.

So of course, the kids in town used it as a dare.

That night was no different.

"Last weekend of summer, we gotta do something epic,” Jenna said, flicking her flashlight beneath her chin for effect.

“I vote well visit,” Brandon said with a grin. “One last descent into stupid before senior year.”

His laugh echoed off the pine trees. Marcus shook his head but followed anyway. Jenna, Brandon, Marcus, and Lila — the inseparable four.

They reached the clearing near midnight. The air was heavy, the kind of silence that presses against your ears. The grate over the well was still there, barely holding on to the crumbling stone.

Lila hung back. “Why does it smell like something’s burning?”

Brandon stomped a foot. “Probably your nerves frying.”

But Lila was right. A faint scent of char — like old coal and firewood — clung to the air. Marcus noticed it too, rubbing his arms.

Jenna leaned over the well, her long hair cascading toward the bars. “Hello, ghost miner. Are you still mad about your unpaid wages?”

Brandon snorted. “Ask him if he takes Venmo.”

Then they heard it.

A soft hiss. Almost like wind, but it spiraled upward, coiling between their legs.

“What the hell was that?” Marcus stepped back, flashlight jerking.

“Nope,” Lila said, turning to leave. But the grate shifted with a loud clank.

They froze.

From below, something whispered.

It wasn’t words. It was... tone. Like someone breathing just behind you while mouthing a secret they don’t want anyone else to hear.

Jenna leaned closer. “Did you hear that?”

Brandon grabbed a stick and started poking at the bars.

“Don’t,” Marcus warned.

“Chill out. I’m just—” CRACK.

The grate gave way. Brandon fell halfway in, legs kicking as his torso slammed into the stone rim. Jenna and Marcus dove forward, grabbing him just in time.

“I swear something grabbed my ankle,” Brandon gasped, pale and trembling as they pulled him back.

The whispering got louder.

Marcus pointed his flashlight down the well.

Nothing.

Then, a face.

It darted back just as the light hit it — a pale blur, with coal-black eyes and a gaping, unhinged jaw. Marcus screamed, dropping the flashlight into the pit. It flickered all the way down... and then went out.

“RUN,” Jenna screamed.

They didn’t stop until they reached the highway, lungs bursting, hearts hammering.

The next day, no one spoke about it. Until Brandon texted:

Going back tonight. Can’t stop thinking about it. I need to know.

He never answered when they begged him not to.

At sunrise, search crews found his phone by the well. The grate was gone.

They never found Brandon.

But sometimes — if you stand quietly in Black Hollow Woods — you can hear him calling for help. And beneath his voice, something else whispering right back.

The Renim Gazette

Date: June 22nd, 2025

Headline: Local Teen Disappears Near Abandoned Well — Officials Baffled

In the early hours of Sunday morning, authorities discovered evidence suggesting Brandon Lively, 17, may have fallen into an abandoned mining well in Black Hollow Woods. Crews have been unable to access the structure, which appears to have partially collapsed. Strange sounds were reported by first responders. No further comment has been made. This is not the first disappearance tied to the site.