Horse in the lake by Ross Cavan, Long Road Sixth Form College

A lads night coming to an end, I decided to walk home by myself, eventually walking past the gloomy lake that I've always feared. Now passing the lake I noticed a transparent figure moving around but I couldn’t see it clearly. As I slowly shuffled forward, the foggy figure became more visible.

Shining from the moon the long reflections, the steed hovered above the glistening water. The galloping echoed throughout the dark skies along with the chains eternally attached to the horse.

Seeing this made me feel like an imp losing sanity, surely this cannot be real? One too many? Nope I made sure I didn’t exceed my limit. Lifting my phone up in fear to message the group chat in hope of rescue, I noticed I had no service bars. A classic problem which I never thought would happen to me.

Now on my own, I back up to see the transparent steed halt almost instantly like someone pressed the pause button. Spooked, I noticed vaguely the horse’s head pointing almost directly at me. Silence, it felt like the steed was staring right through me like I was doing to it. Staring at me like it wanted a reaction like I was in its world not the other way round. Rearing gaudily, I could see the breath coming out of the flared nostrils you could spot from a mile away. Obviously spooked by another form of life. Or another dead form of life.

Noticing this I saw the stallion gallop away and go at blistering speed towards the motionless pier. I expected a crashing sound or something similar. I couldn’t bare to witness it again. The horse went straight through the pier and into the earth it returned leaving silence around the lake. The chains no longer making a sound.

I realised that it was running away and whatever it ran away from is still here.