The two cousins stood quietly by the old lady’s gate, the night air thick and restless as they waited for their mother to return. Crickets chirped, dogs barked somewhere far off, and the road stretched empty in both directions.

That’s when they saw her.

A woman stood a short distance away, half-hidden by the shadows. She didn’t move. She didn’t speak. She simply stared up toward the dark hill rising before her, as if listening to something only she could hear.

The boys felt their stomachs tighten.

As their eyes adjusted, something was terribly wrong.

She had no feet.

Her long skirt hovered just above the dirt road, never touching it. No sandals. No toes. No shadow beneath her. The night seemed to bend around her presence, swallowing sound and air alike.

Neither cousin dared to breathe.

Then, without warning, she turned her head slowly, just enough that they felt her attention shift toward them. Panic surged through their bodies, locking their legs in place.

And then,

She was gone.

No footsteps.

No rustle of leaves.

No movement through the darkness.

Just empty road where she had been standing seconds before.

The boys spun around, hearts pounding, convinced she would be behind them but the gate, the road, the hill were all unchanged. Silent. Watching.

To this day, neither cousin could explain how something could vanish so completely… or why the night felt colder long after she disappeared.