A Silenced Soul

My dear friend, Thadius Pendelton,
         I am aware that it has been many a year since we have enjoyed one another's company. If you are interested in catching up, please visit my new home in Dublin, Ireland. I am available for your company three days from now. I look forward to catching up.
                   Sincerely yours,
                             Stanley
         It has been nearly two days since I received this letter from my dear friend, Stanley. We have not seen or spoken to one another since my family moved to the United States some fifteen years ago. We had been the best of friends in secondary school. We were inseperable. The only reason I am riding bareback on a horse I stole back in Cork is to feel that sense of companionship again. Trust me, Dublin would not be my first choice for a visit, which confuses me. Why would Stanley want to live here? The sky is always an unappealing shade of gray, and the water, a murky black. The very landscape makes me feel as if someone will jump out at any minute and shag this stolen horse from me.
         As I glanced up from the map that Stanley attached to the letter, I thought I was lost. It was dark, my behind was in pain, and I was extremely hungry, so I decided to make camp for the night. After eating what dried meat I had left, I prepared a little spot to lay my head. I had finally gotten settled and closed my eyes, when I heard a blood-curdling scream. I sat up, frightened beyond belief. Sweat was falling profusely from my forehead. The scream continued for a mere moment, and then, it ceased. I listened for the scream to return, but after waiting what seemed like forever, I fell asleep.
         Thadius.
         I looked around for the beckoning voice. There was no one.
         Thadius.
         My heart began to race. Ba bump. Ba bump. Ba bump.
         "Who is there?"
         Thadius.
         "What do you want?!"
         Thadius!
         My eyes suddenly opened. I looked up to see nothing but the morning sky.
         "Thadius!"
         The voice was starting to sound familiar. "Stanley?" I sat up.
         "What in the world are you doing here, Thadius?"
         "I decided to make camp."
         He laughed. "You were only a few measly feet away from my doorstep!"
         I looked around, and sure enough, twenty feet away, a cobblestone walkway met a giant wooden door.
         "Come, let's have breakfast," he said as he grabbed my hand.
         As we made our way to the door, somehow, Stanley disappeared. I turned around, and there he was, twenty feet away, standing over my dead body.