A Love Aglow, With No Place To Go

A love Aglow, With No Place To Go

The Tragic Tale Of: "The Cabin In The Woods”

"The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window."

Somewhere deep within the Black Forest, a group of campers approached a clearing in the woods.

"You see that cabin, beyond that fence over there?", the camp counselor asked while pointing North toward the tall, barbed wire fence. "There was a rumor passed down for centuries that the cabin was cursed by a witch."

“Why is it fenced off?" one of the campers asked.

"About fifty years ago, a diary was found in possession of one of the local teens; a teen who went missing. Her father found a diary in her room. He saw that the diary was old and upon reading it, discovered that it was linked to the tale of the cursed cabin in the woods. The villagers had felt that they finally had an answer to the many teen disappearances over the centuries. An Old Wives Tale so faded in time thought just to scare teens from venturing into the black forest, recently brought back to life. So the locals erected the fence there as a deterrent. Still today, the villagers believe the land to be cursed. The myth is that anyone to cross the boundary are doomed to never to return.", the counselor replied.

"Have you read the diary? Where is it?", another camper asked.

"I have not read it myself. I know of the story from my Opa. She said that the villagers had put it somewhere safe from pondering eyes; to keep the curiosity away from the teens’ minds.", She replied.

"Let us hear it then!" Exclaimed one of the campers.

"Ya', let us camp here!" another chimed in, giddy with excitement.

The others joined in, enthusiastic in agreement.

With a small chuckle, the counselor replied "Well it is about that time. All right, we will make camp here and then I'll get the fire started."

"The tents are pitched, fire crackling, gentle breeze whistling through the trees, embers dancing gracefully away from the flames. A perfect night for a tale as old as time. A tale of love, hate, witches, and curses. Now, this story was shared with me by my Opa, and I will share it as best as I can with you.", said the counselor. Then, with her face turning grim," As my Opa asked me and now I will ask of you," The counselor took on a thick German accent, "you must promise not to let your curiosity get the best of you! Do not, Ever, think about crossing that boundary. For if you do, you shall surely perish!"

Everyone is stern faced and frozen around the campfire, and all at once they broke into hysterics.

"Ok, ok." the counselor said teary eyed and yawning. "It is nearly my bedtime so here we go."

All of the campers collected themselves, becoming silent and attentive around the fire and the counselor began her tale...

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"About Two Centuries ago, a couple lived in that cabin. The couple came from an old village South of here, near the Hohenzollern Castle. The young couple had fallen madly in love and had been keeping their relationship a secret for some time. The man came from a noble family and the woman was the daughter of a servant. Back then, love was not a choice. So, when the man's parents had arranged for him to marry, they decided to run away together. They ventured deep within the forest in search of a witch who was said to bless you in exchange for of course, a sacrifice. Now, the couple had suspected what the cost may be from all those tales they had heard before. They knew there would be a price for what they were going to ask and they were prepared that they would have to sacrifice their first-born child. They were so desperate and in love that they had already discussed this and agreed that they would accept this fate, as it was a sure way they could be together.

Much to their surprise when the couple had approached the Witch's cabin and knocked on the door, they found that the Witch was a kind woman. She had soft eyes and a warm smile. They asked her for her blessing for protection from their families and to live out their lives together in their love. The kind witch agreed to grant them their protection from their families. In return, they had to stay in the woods and make their home and live out their days there. That was their sacrifice.

The couple could not believe that was all they had to do. They felt so blessed to live together, forever, in love and not have to sacrifice any children they may have was surely a blessing.

'One condition...' the Witch warned. 'This is a boundary of protection circling your land. You will have everything you need to live off of your land, but you must never cross this boundary. For if either of you ever cross the boundry, you shall lose all memory and never return.'

The couple understood and accepted the blessing and went on to build on their home and their land.

The Witch gave as promised. Everything they could need was there. Wood and tools to build their home, fruit trees, and gardens already flourished. - It was their own Eden. Their life was magical and beautiful. They spent their time tending to their land by day and making love all night. After they were settled in, they had a makeshift wedding and gave each other their vows in their garden.

Now, some time had passed, and they had their first child. The conception was not planned, but they were excited and embracing all the same. When the child was born, the child had colic and would not take her mother's milk. The young couple tried desperately to get the child to feed, but to no avail. They were both at a loss for how to care for the child and they could not go for help. For if they left the boundary, they knew what would happen. The child had succumbed within a few days.

The couple had never known loss before and grieved their first born for some time. Together they shared this pain. Time slowly passed and their wounds turned to scars. The couple still in love but left with a new wish. They discovered a new love within their aching hearts; lonely, and yearning for a child.

It was not but a year later that the woman fell with child for a second time. When this child was born everything went as beautifully as one could ever had hoped; a strong, healthy and happy child. The couple fawned over the child. They poured all their love into their precious little one, every little bit...

About another year later the woman, gave birth to a third child. Now, this one was not easy like the last. The woman was dreadfully ill throughout her pregnancy. - Eight drudgingly long months of sickness and bed rest. The child arrived earlier than expected and by the grace of God, or just pure luck the child survived. This made things a bit more challenging for the couple. A tiny newborn to tend to and a rambunctious toddler running about. The mother tending to the newborn- a full-time affair and the father tending to the home, land, toddler, and his wife.

They created their children with their love. They gave it away. But, while putting their time and love into the children home and garden, they began to neglect their own.

One day as the man was tending to the garden, he noticed the eldest child had wandered off. Realizing he had lost sight of the child, he searched frantically. He had searched the entire land. Panicked, he went back to the cabin. Upon his arrival, he was surprised to hear that it was quiet. There were no usual screams from the newborn. The man figured they all must have managed to take a nap. Feeling hopeful and somewhat relieved, the man went inside to find the woman bent over the washtub. The man first thought that the woman was bathing the children. It was then he realized, with a stroke of horror, that the children were not moving. The man ran over and knocked the woman to the side. As he bent down and scooped up his children's lifeless bodies into his arms, he sobbed inconsolably.

The man, agonizingly, carried his children out to the garden and started to dig. After he buried the children, he went back into the cabin to find the woman setting the dinner table for two like nothing had just happened. The man flipped the table in a rage. The woman continued cooking and did not turn to look at him.

He then, grabbed the woman and shook her. ‘Have you gone mad?’ The woman did not respond. She just stared, smiling blankly.

The next noon day the man awoke to the woman frantically shaking him. ‘The children! The children are gone!’ The man smacked her across the face, knocking her to the floor.

‘Mad Woman! Do you not recall what you have done?’

The woman distraught, looked at him with shock, and confusion.

‘You've murdered them! In that tub! Right there!’ the man screamed.

The man then dragged the woman by the hair out into the garden and showed her to the two mounds of loose dirt. The woman, painstakingly collapsed at the sight, while she cried out, as if in excruciating pain. The man realized then that the woman must had truly gone mad. She really had no recollection of what she had done. The man, with his realization, his pain and his love, joined the woman, embracing her, and together they grieved.

They lived in sorrow for some time. The woman spent her days mostly in bed while the man tended to her and the home. He cared for her and watched her intently every day for signs of sickness. But as time ticked by, all he witnessed was the woman he loved broken with sadness.

In some time, the woman started to join the man back in the garden and tending to their home. They discussed their memories and pains. The couple had concluded that the witch was responsible for all that had happened. They knew that it was all too good to be true. How young and naive they were at the time to believe the witch was kind and had blessed them.

They came to the notion that this whole time the witch was claiming the souls of their children and feeding off their love. Though in the past, the couples love made them willing enough to sacrifice a child. Now, their views had changed. They did love each other and their life, but they felt robbed and deceived at not being able to grow a family. And with those thoughts, their once passionate love turned into a new sort of passion, a passionate fury at their situation. Now, they found themselves in quite a predicament.

Either they stay trapped, their love aglow, with no place to go; or chance themselves by leaving and forgetting everything.

Now the couple both hopeful with the idea of their new desired outcome, had thought through all the possibilities and probabilities they could. Until they produced what they thought, was a foolproof plan.

The man would be the one to cross the boundry, but he would bring with him simply, a diary.

In a few days, the couple wrote a diary detailing their story. And with that, the woman wrote a note for the man.

- ‘Search for the lone cabin with the candle in the window, for when you find the candle, there you will find your love.’ As an extra reminder the woman would have a candle lit in the window of the cabin, as a symbol of their love. For, when the man saw the cabin with the candle in the window, he could not be mistaken and surely find his way home. If perchance, he did cross and lose his memory, he would surely read the diary and find his way back.

The man in turn made the woman promise, to wait for him there. That even if it took time, their love would reconnect them. And that, she did promise.” ...

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"Well, how did it end?" one of the campers asked the counselor.

"Noone really knows." the counselor replied. "That was all the account from the diary. but what you can assume, from the diary being discovered, is that sadly, the man never did make it home.

"What about the Witch, and all the magic? Those had to be metaphors, no?" Asked another camper.

With a tired smile the counselor replied, "This place is vast with fairytales, and stories with moral lessons created to scare the children into submission, that is all."

"What about the disappearances?" Another camper asked.

To which lastly, the counselor responded, "These forests are so vast and dense; it is very easy for one to get lost and die of starvation. Sadly, it has happened far too many times over the centuries. Now, it is passed my bedtime, and we all have another long day ahead of us tomorrow. Good night!”

One by one, the campers returned to their tents for a much-needed rest. One camper remained behind pondering the story. After a while as the fire was down to its last dying embers, it was late and quiet enough to hear the quiet breaths and snores of the other campers sleeping in their tents. Yawns beginning to take over, the camper heard a distant noise of a what sounded like a window opening. The camper sat frozen, hair standing on end, throat choked up and body stiff with fear. The camper managed slowly, to turn his head and look over his shoulder towards the cabin; only to see, a flickering glow of a candle with a silhouette of a woman standing from behind. The camper quickly arose to run, but not before he fainted.

The End.