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The rain continued relentlessly all day long and into the evening. Zoe was thankful for Father reading to them, for it passed the time and gave her a feeling of security and warmth. Before she knew it, the grandfather clock in the hall was chiming the tune for nine o' clock. With a full stomach from her favorite meal, spaghetti and meatballs, and then a delicious piece of chocolate birthday cake, Zoe was getting sleepy. Mother had put Zack to bed an hour ago, and the twins were sitting at the dining room table playing a game of Yahtzee. Dad put a log in the wood stove and started a fire. The crackling of the fire and the steady pelting of the rain began to lull Zoe to sleep when she felt the strong arm of her father wrap around her and his voice saying, "Let's get you to bed, I'll tuck you in."

Sleep came instantly as soon as her head touched her pillow and the last sound she heard was the click of her door shutting behind her father. Dreams of finding magic rings and falling into magic ponds into new worlds drew her into deeper and deeper sleep. She had no idea how long she had been sleeping when the whispering came again. The pitch darkness was all she could see when her eyes opened wide, searching the room. And then the motion light clicked on and she had to squint to allow her eyes to adjust. The rain had finally stopped and everything was perfectly calm outside. Only a gentle breeze swished through the leaves and a limb tapped her window every now and then.
"Come find me, I'm here. I need you."
Once again Zoe tiptoed to the window, cautiously pulling away the curtain enough to peek out. Then she saw her. Her hand jerked, dropping the curtain and she spun backward, pressing her back firm against the wall. Her body wouldn't move again for several seconds, frozen in fear. She caught her breath and worked up the courage to peek out the window again. Sure enough, she had really seen the girl. She was standing beside the pond just staring up at Zoe's window, arms outstretched and a look of desperation on her face. Her long, blonde wavy hair blew gently around her shoulders. A baby blue dress hung limp and tattered from her frail little body. She must have been about the same age as Zoe. Her bare feet sunk into the mud and her knobby knees were scuffed and dirty. Her appearance was almost transparent, but was wholly present at the same time. The motion light clicked off again and the girl disappeared into the darkness.
Zoe turned from the window, fumbling

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