Book by Candlelight

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window… “That’s a terrible starting line. A cabin in the woods is super cliché.” Tommy said as he mindlessly poked the campfire.

“Why don’t you let me actually tell the story before you start judging it?” Justin said clearly irritated as they had been arguing for most of this trip.

“Just go on, and Tommy shut up.” I said mustering what little strength I had to play mediator.

“Yeah, shut up. We’re in the forest. This is the best place to tell a spooky cabin in the woods story.” Justin said visibly trying to reel in his frustrations.

“Fine! You two don’t have to gang up on me.” Tommy said defensively. Seemingly caught by surprise by Justin’s response.

“So, as I was saying, the candle burning in the dark was a mystery. No one in the nearby village would dare go in the cabin alone, but for several nights the villagers saw the candle burning…”

“Is it going to be much longer?” Tommy interrupted.

“Listen here if you keep ruining the mood…” Justin angrily stood up, knocking over the water bucket we had on hand for emergencies, dousing the flames and plunging us into darkness. I concentrated on the sizzle, staring at the few embers that managed to survive the flood. They glowed a dull amber. I could still hear Justin and Tommy arguing but they sounded like they were underwater. It felt like hours had passed but I knew it hadn’t been that long. Maybe the sooner we sleep, the sooner I can be back home. I shouldn’t have let them drag me out here in the first place.

“Alissa!?” Tommy yelled.

“Huh?” I replied feeling my mind snap back.

“We said we should look for some more firewood since “Thick Skull” over there wants to keep interrupting my stories until dawn hits.” Justin said.

“I don’t know guys maybe we should just call it a night. We still have tomorrow.” I said.

“But I wanted to tell a horror story so I could show “Snore Fest” how it’s done.” Tommy said.

“Fine I guess, but let’s not go too far.” I said.

We each got our flashlights and to help us find our way back we set a lantern on one of the trees to act as a sort of marker. The campsite we had booked was one of the cheaper ones and it seemed like we were the only campers this weekend. We had set up our three tents and built a campfire in the center. The trees were thin, but there were so many that it was often hard to see too far ahead in the day time. At night everything looked different. We went off in the direction that the trail should be, but couldn’t find it in the darkness. We figured as long as we kept together there shouldn’t be a problem.

We had made it just far enough to no longer be able to see the campsite behind us when we came across a little clearing. We each decided to take a section to search for firewood. Diligently I went about picking up sticks and I let the monotony of the task lull me back into the bottom of the ocean. I could hear the two working behind me but they were drowned out as I felt my mind float away. My body continued to mindlessly preform the task at hand, but I was disconnected from the physical. Wishing once again for my dark room and my lumpy bed. How I wanted to burrow into the covers and stop existing. Where the only light allowed is the soft glow of my laptop. I could binge shows and ignore life for the length of an episode.

Before I realized, I had gathered so many sticks they started falling out of my hands. They hit the ground startling me from my trance. I looked at the stack I was still holding and sighed.

“Let’s get this over with.” I said, but I turned suddenly as I noticed I could no longer hear the sound of the boys working behind me.

“Justin?... Tommy?!...” I said, but the only reply was the constant low buzzing of bugs, living just out of view. Had they gone back to the campsite without me? I started trying to head back but I couldn’t recognize which path I took. The trees seemed shifted and different from before.

I traced the edge of the clearing looking for any sign of a trail or human interference. I found a section that resembled a path, but I couldn’t tell if it was natural or manmade. I pulled out my pocket knife and carved an X on the tree at the start of the path and proceeded forward slowly. As my flashlight passed over the trees the shadows bent out and moved as if they were coiling around me. As the light passed over the ground, I saw the specks and flashes of spider eyes reflecting back at me, and could hear different patterns of buzzing, whirring, and clicking. In that cacophony I was isolated by my own attempts at being silent. As if the contrast was enough to make the forest aware that I was a foreign entity that did not belong among the choir in the night. While contemplating the profound loneliness of my silence, I saw a light in the distance.

I had almost forgotten that we had set up a lantern to help guide us back. Abandoning the cautious silence, I hurried toward the light. As I got closer, I realized it was higher than I anticipated. I stopped suddenly as the trees lessened, and I could see clearly what was producing the light. I lost my grip. The firewood slide from my hand. My flashlight bounced on ground for a moment then the beam of light settled on an old moss-covered cabin.

Judging by the tree jutting out of what I assumed was the roof above the living room; it had long been abandoned. Yet the curious thing was, that at one of the windows, there was a candle burning brightly in the dark. I took a step back in shock. Not just shock at there being a cabin that was not on any of the maps or any of the trail information. Not just shock at there being a lit candle in the window like the story, but shocked at how perfectly it looked just like what I imagined when Justin began his tale. As if I had been consulted on its construction, and all the way down to where the forest had overgrown, followed my design. I’m not sure how long I stood there, mouth agape, before I realized that Tommy was standing just off on the left side of the cabin looking around.

“Hey!” I said.

“Boy, this thing really ruined my plans.” Tommy said as he turned around and walked toward me.

“What?!”

“When we were picking up firewood, Justin’s flashlight ran out of batteries. So, he went back to the campsite. When I noticed that you were zoned out, I decided to find a good spot where I could scare either one of you. But I saw the light as I was trying to find the right spot, and when I followed it, I stumbled on to this.” He gestures at the cabin waving his flashlight.

I picked my flashlight up. And compared the cabin to what I had imagined. The windows had long been shattered. The candle was in a window above the door and next to where the tree had grown through the lower roof. Seemingly an expansion added later, of a room or attic, in the center of the original cabin.

“There must be a way to get up there.” I mumbled.

“Yeah, I was thinking of going up there too. It’s weird, and if you say this to Justin, I’ll deny it, but this cabin looks just like what I though of, when he was starting that story of his.”

“You too?! It’s unnerving, isn’t it?”

“Well, should we go in?”

“I was just thinking out loud. I didn’t actually think we should go in. It could be dangerous at night. Maybe in the morning.”

“Oh come on, there’s a candle burning up there. Either someone is camping in there already or it’s a fire hazard. Either way it’s more fun to check it out at night.”

“You mean dumber.”

“Fine I’ll go alone.” He makes a motion as if he is about to go but clearly knowing I wouldn’t let him go alone.

“ok, ok. Since I can’t trust you to be smart, I at least expect you to be careful.” I pushed on ahead of him so he would have to follow my lead.

“Now there is the Alissa I’ve been missing. I haven’t seen her in a few months.”

I let his comment fall away without a reaction. Thinking about a few months ago is almost scarier than our current situation. We slowly made our way to the front door of the cabin. As I set foot on the little stair way up the wood bent beneath my foot. As if it had just enough strength left to hold me and me alone. I continued slowly toward the door with tommy following right behind me. The door had recently been opened judging by the moss that was scraped along its path. I could hear some sobbing coming from the living room where the tree was growing.

“Hello?” I whispered without meaning to whisper. I tried to get my nerves up and said it a little louder “hello?”

“Alissa” said a voice strained from crying but still familiar.

“Justin!?” I said as I walk in flashing my light on him.

“Ahh, too bright.” And there was Justin sitting at the base of the tree covering his face from the light. I pulled the light away.

“Oh man, thank God you two are here. I got lost and thought I was going to have to stay the whole night in this creepy cabin.” Justin said.

“Yeah, well you shouldn’t have tried to go off without a flashlight in the dark.” I said.

“I thought it would be ok. We weren’t that far. And I thought I remembered the way.” Justin said.

“Well, you are lucky something bad didn’t happen to you. Either way let’s check out the upstairs and get out of here.” I said.

“I tried but it’s a ladder that leads to a hatch that seems to be locked…” Justin said.

“Really? I didn’t have any problems with it.” Tommy said having already gone upstairs.

I went and climbed up the ladder to see that it was a bare dusty abandoned room lit up entirely by the candle. The hatch did have an iron latch, but it didn’t seem like it was in use when Tommy climbed up. Next to the candle there was an equally old dusty book. I picked up the book and by candlelight started reading.

Alissa’s friends were worried about her. She had spent months flaking on plans, and isolating herself. They thought maybe a fun camping trip might lighten her spirits. They didn’t understand the gauntlet they were undertaking.

“Is this supposed to be a joke?” I said as I closed the book.

“What?!” Justin and Tommy both said but out of sync with each other.

Tommy grabbed the book and read the first paragraph.

“Whoa, Justin if you planned this out. This is epic!” Tommy hands the book back to me.

“I have no idea what you guys are talking about. Can you just snuff out the candle so we can go? I really don’t want to be at this cabin anymore.”

“Whatever you say.” Tommy went to go downstairs still looking impressed.

I looked at the candle and then the book. I put out the candle, but kept the book on me. As we walked back to the campsite Justin mostly stayed quiet. Tommy, who had the better direction out of the three of us, led us back. When we got to the campsite, he triumphantly began his work at building a fire; since he was the only one of us who had kept track of his bundle of sticks.

“Hey, I have an idea why don’t we forget about starting a fire. We can turn off the flashlights and even that lantern over there. We can tell scary stories completely in the dark. We didn’t end up bringing that much firewood back anyway.” Justin said.

I looked over at the lantern we had set when we went to find the firewood. It felt too far away to care about. “Nah, its late anyways so it shouldn’t matter that the fire won’t last long. Besides you two can keep telling stories if you like, but I’m more interested in what’s in this book. Unless you want to admit your story was based on that cabin and that you planted the candle and the book.”

“No, I was as confused, when I found it, as you guys were. Honestly, I was making the whole cabin thing up off the top of my head.” Justin said.

Tommy mostly ignored this interaction enthralled in the simple act of making a fire. I opened the book back up. The beginning was mostly a third person retelling of what had already happened with me as the protagonist. Though as I started skimming ahead one section stuck out to me.

They sat around the fire each distracted by their task. Unaware that one of the three hadn’t made it out of the woods alive.

“Really!?... you’re going to joke about that? After what I’ve been through?” I said at Justin who was sitting in the shadows. I couldn’t fully make out his face, but it looked like he was smiling.

“I swear Alissa, I really didn’t have anything to do with what is written in that book.” Justin said, but his tone sounded off.

I felt like there was a realization in the back of my mind. Something too strange to process. I opened up the book again.

As Alissa read, she realized, that what she had feared was true. It wasn’t Justin sitting across from her. And the only things protecting her, from the Imposter, are the lights in the campsite.

“It’s funny that, when I actually tell the truth, is when people tend to not believe me.” And its voice started to break as it began, and shift until there were several tones all speaking at once. One of which was still clearly Justin’s voice.

As whatever was pretending to be Justin, made its declaration, I shined my flashlight at it while simultaneously Tommy had finished the campfire, but it seemed prepared and immediately ducked back into the forest.

“What the hell?! Where is Justin going?” Tommy said oblivious to what just happened in front of him.

“That thing isn’t Justin! Quickly stand up back to the fire. It doesn’t like light as long as we have our flashlights out and the fire behind us, we will be safe.” As I said this a confused Tommy stood up. I’m sure he has many questions, but he could tell by the tone of my voice that now is not the time.

I tried to think back through everything that had happened. When did the switch occur? Did the fake Justin give anything away that could be used against him? What is this book? Is it working against this thing? I got lost in my questions and didn’t notice the imposter Justin had slid around to break the lantern we had up tied to the tree.

“Tommy search for him!” I said as I kept my light illuminating around the campsite. There must be a reason why he destroyed the lantern. I looked through the area the lanterns light would cover until I shined over our icebox. The icebox! Of course. I kept my light trained on the icebox.

“Very clever Alissa, but is it enough? Do you think you’ll survive the night like this? I wonder what the book says?” his voice seemed to be echoing all around us.

Tommy was trying to track him, but always arrived too late at the rustling, catching only glimpse of the dark figure in the form of our friend. I try to open the book while maintaining the flashlight on the icebox. Trying to lean back to see if I could read by the light of the campfire, but it was hard to make out the words. Only one word stuck out to me.

Trap

As if I didn’t already know, but he was still right. Trying to read if there is a way to beat him or if we even survive is our best real chance.

“Tommy, I need you to shine your light at the icebox. I need to try and read this book.” as we traded positions, I flipped through pages hoping to get near the end of the story.

Alissa read, eager to find an answer to her predicament. Unaware that she wasn’t the only one distracted.

I turned around to find tommy staring at me, and a tent overturning in the way of tommy’s light.

“Tommy! Look out!” but it was too late. The tent had given him cover and the icebox was gone.

“I don’t get it. What does it matter if he gets the icebox?” Tommy said.

“He can use the liquid and ice to go after our campfire.” I said.

“Poor Tommy, always three steps behind his smart friends.” His voice fluctuating between a multitude of pitches and his imitation of Justin’s voice.

“You aren’t our friend. Stop using his voice!” Tommy said.

“Let me ask you. What’s worse? knowing that if Alissa wasn’t here, you would be dead? Or knowing that because you are here Alissa might die?” the Imposter said. Fully in its unnatural multi tonal voice.

“Tommy he’s trying to break our concentration. Don’t listen to him. You can’t let your guard down.” I said.

“I know… but, I am sorry.” Tommy turned to me to say this and his light dropped just long enough. I saw in the darkness a rustling. And through the air past tommy came a hurtling mass that landed on our campfire. It came into view just long enough for me to tell it was the ice box without a lid. The ice and water snuffing out the fire. I grabbed tommy and pulled him back-to-back with me. We made a turn, but the Imposter had clearly retreated as all of us knew it was just a matter of time.

“Do you have the matches still on you?” I said.

“God, I’m so sorry Alissa. It’s all my fault…”

“Tommy! The matches!?”

“Yeah, I do, but it’ll take too long to make another fire.”

“Don’t worry. I have a plan, but I need you to follow my lead.” I grabbed his arm and pulled him along and we dashed off into the woods. As we ran, I could hear that thing chasing us. It seemed to be keeping its distance. Almost as if it was enjoying the chase. We reached the clearing where we had gathered firewood. I stopped in the center. And searched frantically along the edge.

“There!” I had found it. The tree with the X marked into it. “Run!” I pulled tommy along again and we broke into a run.

I could hear it chasing us still, but the mood had changed. It had grown more aggressive. It had figured out what I was planning. It was getting closer.

“Stop!” and I positioned myself back-to-back with Tommy.

That thing knows time is running out. It knows I have a plan. And even without the candlelight I could make out the cabin a short distance away.

“Be ready.”

The Imposter was out there, agitated and running out of patience. I no longer paid attention to the noise. I could just feel it. Coiling around us. Spiraling ever closer until finally it sprang at Tommy who caught it in time. And for a moment I could see it. Whatever it was, it clearly didn’t need Justin’s eyes, or even his head as it was twisted to one side. It looked like someone who had lost all muscle control in their neck. The eyes were unfocused. It almost seemed as if someone had strung up Justin’s lifeless corpse, except that it had made a very conscious decision to have Justin’s face twisted into a smile. An unnatural smile that would have been painful. It had ripped Justin’s lips open with this smile and what seemed like blood was streaking down his face. Tommy had clearly caught it by surprise. Whatever method it had used before to look normal in the light for short periods of time was gone. You could see its flesh melt and sizzle as bubbles started to form. All this was burned into my mind as it was shocked and repelled by the light and quickly returned to the shadows.

“Quickly let’s go!” I pulled on tommy again and we ran as fast as we could heading for the cabin.

We barreled through the door and up the ladder. I shut down the hatch and slid the iron latch. I ran toward the candle

“The matches quickly!” as I said this, the creature was bumping against the hatch.

Tommy hands me the matches and my jittery fingers try to pull them out. Aware all the while that the bumping was getting louder and that the old wood of the cabin was beginning to give. Trying to ignore the sound of wood breaking with every new bump I struck one of the matches with no luck. I tried turning it toward the less spent side and trying again but still no results. I threw the dud match and pulled out a fresh one ready to try again. One massive bump sends the hatch swinging as the creature imitating Justin pulls himself in.

just as I managed one good strike getting a match lit. the second, I touched the match to the candle the whole room lit up. I had noticed last time, but hadn’t really given it much thought, that the candle lit an unusually wide area. I could tell by where the light ended on the floor where the candles barrier ended. As soon as the candle was lit the Imposter ducked down into the shadows of the opening. I moved forward to get it to back away from the hatch and closed it again. Though the latch was broken.

“I knew it. The candle and the book both help fight that thing off.”

“But why? What even is that thing? What happened to Justin?” as he asked tommy fell back as if hit by his own words and finally having a moment to absorb that our friend is gone.

“I don’t know, but I think Justin…” as I tried to say it, I could feel the tears starting to build up. The new pain of losing Justin pulling and building on the old pain from 2 months ago. Becoming an almost unbearable weight. I summon all the strength I had left to place it in a box in my mind. I can’t grieve yet. This isn’t over. I pull the book out to read the final paragraph.

Alissa read again. Intent on discovering answers to the mysteries her and her friends had unwittingly stumbled upon. Praying in her heart for proof that they would survive the night. All the while unaware that the dawn was rising. And the ordeal was over…

I looked out the window just in time to see the sun.

The rest of the book was blank. We called the park rangers, packed up our site, and went home. I felt bad not warning them, but I knew it would just get us thrown into an asylum. They found Justin’s body, but no mention of a cabin. I wonder what my responsibility is as a survivor? Whether I should try to end whatever is out there? Or if it is arrogant of me to think I could end it? The only thing I could think to do, was to leave the book back where I found it. In the abandoned cabin in the woods. Next to the candle that still burns in the window.