The Spell

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

On that night, the feeling of an unholy rage filled the air, as the wind howled, the lightning flashed, and the thunder rolled. The foul taste of bitterness, and death was swallowed up by the dark sky, as it spewed forth a torrent of putrid smelling black rain down upon the roof of that accursed cabin and the woods all around it.

So fierce was this night’s storm that you could see the lightning bolts eerily flashing like a snake across the sky. You could hear the hissing and cracking of trees being split asunder by its deadly aim, and you could feel the earth-shattering clap of thunder, as it boomed and rolled along.

Even above these frightening sounds was the loud, blood-curdling shrieks and moans of some ungodly creatures crying out, deep down in those dark woods, as they struggled to break free from whatever had bound them. Hell had been loosed by an unseen hand.

No, on this night that a candle burned in the window of the cabin in the woods, it was a time when neither man nor beast should have been afoot, lest they lose their immortal soul.

It was a dark night. It was an evil night. It was a night for those in human form to beware and to be afraid. Be very afraid.

But, alas, there was a one who did not know this evil place into which he was venturing. He was an innocent. A young man with a pure heart, who had been told of these things but had never witnessed it. His name was Marcus, and he had hitched a ride on a boxcar that was going west. It was called “hoboing.”

On that night, as the car was rolling along and he sat inside it, suddenly, he felt it slow down and then roll to a stop. He soon realized that this boxcar had been uncoupled and left standing. All was silent. The rest of the train had speeded away.

Marcus was hungry and tired of being in that boxcar, too. He longed for human companionship, wanted to get some fresh air and, once again, feel the soft earth beneath his feet.

Sliding back the train’s heavy metal door, he looked out, but it was pitch black except for the bright full moon above him. He had no idea where he was, except to know that he was out in the woods somewhere. He decided to climb down from the box car and start walking.

At first, everything was quiet as he moved along through the woods, but then, it suddenly changed. The wind started howling, the lightning began to flash and the rain poured down upon Marcus, until he was soaking wet.

The way the storm had suddenly arose seemed strange to him and he was unnerved by it. He was cold and shivering now and didn’t know what to do.

He had come too far to go back to the boxcar and his only hope was to find shelter from the storm. He pressed on, but as he did, he heard something growling in the woods around him. It was a sound he had never heard before and he could, also, feel something there, watching him.

He started to tremble as he took out the large silver cross that his mother had given to him. He kissed it, put it around his neck and said a prayer of protection as he pushed on.

Then through the pouring rain, he saw it. He saw the old cabin in the woods. He saw the candle burning in its window and he thought, “If only I can get there, I will be safe.”

Picking up his leaden feet, he started to run as fast as he could toward that cabin. He heard snarling behind him and sensed something there, but he didn’t stop to look. His heart was beating so loudly, it was almost jumping out of his throat. He kept on going until, finally, he reached the front porch of that cabin. In a state of panic, he rapped hard on the door, hoping someone would answer quickly but no one did. Instead that old door slowly creaked open. Marcus went in and shut it as fast as he could.

Once inside, he breathed a sigh of relief. However, he soon realized it was not safe there either. There was a smell of decay inside that cabin. It was as if someone had died there, and Marcus could smell their rotting flesh. He wanted to throw up! It made him sick to his stomach and filled his eyes with tears. He lost all his feelings of hunger as his mind whirled with fear.

Suddenly, he felt a sweet presence in that room with him. It calmed his nerves. It quieted his fear. Then he knew who it was. It was his mother. A deeply religious woman, she had been dead for years, but in this, his time of need, she had come to show him what to do to come against these foul spirits. These demons that sought to take his soul.

“Mama, mama,” he cried out. “I know that’s you. I can see you and I can feel your spirit in this God forsaken place. Mama, mama, what should I do? I’m so afraid. Help me. Help me please!”

“Marcus, my son, be not afraid,” his mother said. “Fear is not of the light but of darkness. Calm yourself and know that you are not alone.”

Even as he calmed himself, he heard scratching on the roof and howling around the cabin windows. He heard something screeching upstairs, as the storm grew even more ferocious and unrelenting.

“On this night,” she said, “an evil spell has been cast. The forces of darkness have summoned the hounds of hell through the candle, burning in the window.”

“You, my son, must defeat them. You must summon all the powers of light to send them back to the fiery pits from whence they’ve come.”

“Marcus, your power lies within you. Only through your faith and prayers can you succeed. Be strong in the Lord, my son, and remember what I taught you. Use the cross I gave you, as your Scepter of Power! It has been blessed and will be a blessing to you on this night.”

With that, his mother’s presence slowly faded.

Taking off his silver cross, Marcus immediately began to trace an invisible, magic circle around the room with it. Then, he stepped inside the circle, raised his hands up with the cross and lifted his eyes to heaven. With great strength of faith in his voice, he opened his mouth and started calling forth loudly, all the powers of light and good over the forces of darkness and evil. He called to the Heavenly Angels and Archangels. He called to the Saints and all the Legions of Light. He called to all the great Masters of Light. After this, he chanted aloud, and began to pray with all the power of his soul.

Suddenly, the earth began to tremble and the cabin shook. Agonizing sounds of growling, screeching, howling and scratching could be heard more loudly than before. The pain of their dark, foul evil was being pierced through by the forces of light and these demons from hell cried out in misery. Then Marcus realized that his last action must be taken before this nightmare would end.

Holding the silver cross in his hand with a prayer on his lips, he, quickly, stepped over to the candle burning in the window and with one deep breath… blew it out!

At that very instant, the storm abated, and the growling, screeching, howling and scratching exploded into nothingness and was no more. Even the foul smell faded, as rays of light pierced through the window. The dark night of the candle burning was over, and dawn was breaking.

Marcus gathered up his belongings, put his big silver cross back around his neck and went outside as the sun was coming up. He could hardly wait to get away from this place. It was a night he would never forget.

With a sigh of relief, he thought about the evil he had witnessed and how calling down the power of God had overcome it. As he touched his silver cross, he, also, thought about his dear mother. How thankful he was that she had been a religious woman who taught him how to pray. Thank God she did, for it was her greatest gift to him. A gift that had saved his soul on the night that a demonic spell had been cast and a candle burned in the window.

A candle that summoned all the hounds of hell.