Hunter Lake
Susan urges her daughter, Ettie, to switch off the television and appreciate their time together in nature. She recalls a friend’s advice to visit a nearby lake that does not appear on any map. Hoping for a good story and photograph for a magazine article, Susan encourages Ettie to join her in searching for the supposedly haunted body of water. Ettie, uncertain whether she is dreaming, is reluctant to go.
Mother and daughter leave their rented log cabin and drive into the woods. Susan talks about the legends of the lake, the Native American rites performed on its shore, and the lingering spirit of a young girl lost. Ettie grows uneasy.
Susan parks in front of a tumbledown farmhouse. Ettie notices a small family cemetery and supposes the house’s residents to be deceased. Susan reassures Ettie, noting the comfort to be taken in being near dead relatives. Ettie reflects on her mother’s passing.
No one answers Susan’s knock at the farmhouse door. Nervous, Ettie suggests that they leave. Susan insists that the man of the house knows the way to Hunter Lake.
An old woman speaks curtly from behind Susan and Ettie. Susan introduces herself and explains that a friend suggested she speak with the woman’s husband. The old lady moans, indicating that her spouse will not speak to any woman. Susan suggests that Ettie, still a girl, might meet with him. Scandalized, Ettie protests but finds herself across the farmhouse threshold as if compelled.
Susan asks to photograph the old woman, who warns that she will appear only as a smudge on the film. The camera’s screen displays an image of the lady holding a bouquet of lilies. Susan questions the mysterious arrival and sudden disappearance of the floral arrangement.
Ettie explores the house, finding it deserted and dilapidated. She decides to take a souvenir for her trouble and picks up a small copper coin. Returning to Susan and finding the old woman departed, Ettie decides to lie about her time inside. Ettie tells her mother that the man of the house advised them to return home. Susan insists that Ettie try again to retrieve directions to Hunter Lake.
Reentering the farmhouse, Ettie thumbs through a book to pass the time. She rejoins her mother and fabricates a conversation with the old man, in which he tells of the lake shifting its shape and hunting people. Undeterred, Susan sends Ettie back inside to learn more. Ettie wanders through the house before feeling a presence and rushing outside to the car. Petrified, Ettie pleads with Susan to drive away from the woods and back to their home.
Ettie points out a secluded path leading to the home of an “Injun” named George Jones, who knows the way to the lake. Susan is taken aback by her daughter’s archaic language and change in attitude.
Susan and Ettie locate George’s hovel on foot. There, they encounter a Native American woman working a garden. Susan asks after George and learns that he is fishing on Hunter Lake. In exchange for a ten-dollar bill, the woman points Susan and Ettie down a trail.
Hurrying down the trace, Susan slows to check on Ettie. Mother kisses daughter and expresses her love. Ettie voices her worry about being possessed by the old man, but Susan dismisses the concern.
