Be Careful What You Wish For.

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

Terry could barely make out the cabin from her bedroom. She was pretty high up, as she sat on her window ledge from the third floor. She had gazed at it before, but something looked different. It was an abandoned log cabin. That was what she thought. She would always imagine something magical and mysterious about the place. She lived in an old Victorian. The town of Hadley was a historic village in Maine. Some of the buildings dated back as far as the early 1600s. There were families in Hadley that could trace their ancesesters back to the Pilgrims.

It’s strange she never saw a candle or any light in the windows before. She thought It must be the kids on her block playing a trick with her. They weren’t very nice and were always making fun of her curly hair and freckles. Terry recently turned the awkward age of 13. She was an only child with a vivid imagination. She also had her own distinct style. She usually wore frilly black lace skirts and combat boots. She recently started adding dark eyeliner to her make up. Her mother always said Terry marched to the beat of a different drummer. But that’s what she loved about her.

Terry didnt’ have many friends, in fact she really only had one. Carly, they loved hanging together and listening to 80’s punk music. They were to say the least a unique pair. But two months ago things changed when Carly moved away, leaving Terry on her own. They still communicated over social media, and video called each other, but it wasn’t the same.

Terry was left alone to fend for herself. She held her own though and would sometimes play into the part that was developed for her by the kids in her neighborhood. They liked to call her “The Witch of Hadley Place”. They would say things like “Summoning the Dark Lord tonight Witchy?” or taunt her with a song they made up about her.

Terry, Terry you think you’re cool. Your hideous face is hiding something cruel. When the moon is full you stir your brew. If you look in her the eye she’ll cast a spell on you

She tried hard to look at the bright side of things and always thought it could be worse. She knew those kids so well too. They grew up together, attending the same pre-school and elementary school. They had the same teachers. Some of the nice kids even stood up for her.

It was really only four boys that did the taunting. Scott, the leader, Bailey the taunter, Todd the initiator and Calvin the quiet one. Sometimes she would imagine horrible things happening to them. Like maybe they would wonder out into the woods and get eaten by the local wildlife.

As she thought about this scenario more and more, she decided to get creative and play a little game. She would give them what they wanted and cast a little spell on them tonight. After all it is a full moon.

She headed down to the basement and grabbed some of her mother’s old Halloween decor. Including an old witches cauldron she got at the party supply store. A witch hat and broom from an old costume. She took some incents from her mother’s essential oil stash and seasoning from the kitchen

She thought about where would she perform this spell? The old cabin of course. That night she snuck out of her house and ventured to the old cabin in the woods. There was no light in the window so she figured the place was vacant. As she opened the door it made a terrible creaking sound. But the place was empty. Only some old broken chairs and a round table. There was an old stone fireplace. Perfect to make her imaginary witches brew. So she set all the items out on the table. She brought a pitcher of water too and added it to the cauldron throwing in some oregano and leaves from the ground that she gathered on the way. She picked up an old stick, some dirt and crows feather that she found lying on the doorstep. It all went into the witches brew.

As she stirred it, she spoke these words. “Witches Brew, Witches Brew. I cook you with ingredients true. Dirt from the Hadley Village. a Crow’s Feather. Leaves from the old Oak tree and a splash of witches seasoning. Mix it well.”

The scent of the ingredients filled the air. She cast the spell on the boys that taunted her.

“I put a curse on Scott, Bailey, Todd and Calvin. They will disappear and never be seen again”

At that moment a strong wind blew open the door and a swirl of dust circled the cabin’s main room. Terry started to get frightened and decided to leave as quickly as possible. As she ran out of the cabin she looked back and could of sworn she saw the silhouette of an old women pass by the window. At that very moment the candle lit up again.

She never ran so fast and so hard her whole life, Terry was so upset as tears streaked her freckled face. What have I done? What have I done? She feared the curse would come true. And what happened next would be unbelievable.

The next morning she heard sirens streaming and people calling out for the four boys.

Terry decided to act normal as though she knew nothing. Deny, deny, deny. She would never speak about the cabin or ill will about anyone again.

Her stomach was turning and knotted up like a ball of yarn. She couldn’t eat a thing. As the days passed there was no sign of the boys. The media was alerted and there were search parties covering every house in the town and the surrounding woods.

A few days later Terry got up the nerve to go back to the cabin to fetch her witches brew and the items she brought there to rid the place of any evidence.

The cabin looked deserted when she arrived. Oddly, she found all her items placed neatly by the door. It must have been the witch she saw in the window.

The nights were getting cooler and still no sign of the boys. A week went by and one night Terry noticed the candle burning in the window of the cabin again.

She had to find out what was going on and maybe she could summon the help of the witch to reverse her spell and bring back the boys.

She went down to the cabin and bravely knocked on the door. It swung open and standing there was a little old lady. She had to be at least 80. She smiled at Terry and said, “Won’t you come in dear?” Terry was frightened and bravely said “Who are you?” the old woman’s clothes were tattered and worn and it looked like she hadn’t taken a brush to her hair in years. She began to tell Terry her story that she recently had been evicted from her apartment and had become homeless. She knew about this old cabin and decided to make it home until someone came and kicked her out. She had nowhere else to go.

Terry, felt sad for the old woman and they chatted about the missing boys. But the old woman claimed she didn’t know anything about the situation. She promised never to divulge Terry’s secret spell. And said it was innocent fun and not to worry. It was simply a coincidence.

The old woman invited Terry to come and visit anytime as she could use the company. Perhaps they could whip up a good spell to summon the boys home.

Terry was relieved and felt she had nothing to do with the boy's disappearance. As she left the cabin, the old woman waved and closed the door behind her. She went over to the pot to stir the contents of her stew, which was bubbling over the open fire. “Hmm,” she said. “Youngling stew my favorite”. She lifted the wooden spoon to her lips and swallowed with a sinister yet pleasing smile.

The End.