A Witch's Love

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

“Seriously?! Not another story about a cabin in the woods,” John rolled his eyes and crossed his arms with a deep sigh as he leaned back in his chair.

“Shut up, John! Let her tell the story,” Heather said, throwing a small round pillow at his head. “Go ahead, Jo. Tell us the story,” she insisted, curling her legs under her as she leaned against Adam on the couch. Setting the lit candle on the window, Josephine began her tale again.

"The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. Her friends dared her to enter the abandoned cabin. They told her that all she had to do was light the candle, say the words, and wait until the wax melted completely. Alice glanced around the small one-room cabin trying to steel her nerves. A heavy dust layer covered every piece of the sparse furnishings. Thick cobwebs filled the undisturbed corners. The hairs on her neck stood on end as a chill ran down her spine. Every instinct urged her to run. She told herself it was just nerves. If she left, her friends would never let her hear the end of it. Glancing out the window, she saw her friends waving as they sat around the campfire drinking, laughing, and playing music. Placing her hands around the candle, Alice recited the phrase.” Jo placed her hands around the candle on the window sill as she continued her story.

“When two hearts become one, it cannot be undone. A promise has been made and cannot be broken or swayed. For this love is eternal and will not fade.”(CM)**

The flame flickered on the window sill.

Jo turned toward her friends lounging on the furniture, “With the last word spoken, a cool breeze blew into the cabin, followed by an echoing click. Out of the corner of her eye, Alice thought she saw something in the shadows move. ‘Hello?’ she called out, but no one answered. A loud creak sounded from the nearby rocking chair as it started to sway. Slowly, she began to back up toward the door. Her heart pounded. Her eyes darted from corner to corner. Faint whispers called from the dark. Alice placed her back against the wall, sliding closer and closer to the door. Finally, her hand touched the handle. She turned it, but the door would not open.”

Jo paused to gauge the room. She had most of their attention—all but Dan, who seemed more interested in running his hands all over Sheila. With a deep breath, Jo continued. “Alice struggled to open the door, but nothing she did would make it budge. Her hair was pushed to one side as she felt the cold tips of slender fingers on her neck. A silent scream parted her mouth as darkness consumed her.”

Taking a sip from her drink, Jo looked at each one of her friends. “It was hours later that her friends checked on Alice. The wax candle had melted, and its light extinguished. But when they opened the door, only an empty one-room cabin was before them. Not a single trace of Alice. It was as if she had never entered the cabin.”

“That’s it?” Dan asked, stepping down from his perch on the back of the dining room chair, crushing the empty can of beer he had just finished and tossing it in the corner, missing the trash can completely.

“That was horrific,” Sheila responded, picking up the can and tossing it into the recycle bin. She strolled over to Dan and smacked him on the arm.

“Sorry, I’m not the storyteller Jane was,” Jo responded, earning fewer looks of grief than she’d hoped, but it was the last time she would see all of them. Graduation was merely a week behind them, and college was a few short months ahead.

“Hey Jo,” chimed Heather, “what happened to Alice?”

“No one knows,” replied Jo with a shrug, “it's a story my grandma used to tell me. She claimed the Witches of Briarwood took her.”

“The Witches of Briarwood? Please don’t tell me you believe in that old story?” replied John.

“Who are the Witches of Brairwood?” asked Ashely as she pulled John’s arm around her.

“My grandma told me that centuries ago, a woman named Faye settled in a small cabin nestled in the forest on the outskirts of Briarwood. One afternoon, Faye went to town for supplies. That is where she crossed paths with the clockmaker's daughter, Irene. When their eyes met, there was an instant connection. A love that could not be broken.” Jo closed her eyes and thought of her smile, the color of her eyes, and the sound of Jane’s voice. “At night, Faye would light a candle to guide Irene through the darkness of the woods to her cabin. It was not long before the Clockmaker became suspicious of the two. He convinced the townsfolk that Faye was a witch and had cast a spell on his daughter, making Irene fall in love with her. Afraid of what else Faye might do, the townsfolk gathered together and set fire to her cabin, locking her inside. They forced Irene to watch and hear the screams of her beloved, hoping it may break the spell. As Faye’s screams faded, Irene broke free. She cursed the townsfolk and declared her undying love before leaping into the fire. ”

“That’s awful,” replied Ashley, her eyes glanced toward John, “but could you imagine that kind of love.”

“Some say that on nights like tonight, the two lovers wander the forest.” Jo swallowed the last drink from her can. “They search for hosts so they may be reunited in this world once more.”

“An old wives tale to keep kids from wandering in the woods alone,” Adam said, reaching over the back of the couch to hit play on the iPod sitting on the end table. With no cell service out here, they were subject to Adam’s downloaded playlist. Jo walked to the kitchen to retrieve another soda from the fridge, Dan bumping into her along the way. He just smirked as he cracked open the can of what must have been his third beer already. Gulping it down, Dan grabbed Sheila by the waist. She feigned irritation but gave in as he nibbled on her neck.

Jo sipped on her Coke as she watched her friends pair off. This was not unusual for their group, but this was the first time she found herself alone. Without Jane, nothing was ever going to be the same. A book on the table beside her overstuffed chair caught her eye, and she picked it up. Old worn leather encased the handwritten parchment. She thumbed through the pages to distract herself from the couples around her.

“Come on,” Dan said a second time, attempting to lead Sheila down the hall towards the bedrooms.

“Alright,” she responded, only slightly reluctant at the early invitation. She set her beer on the kitchen table near where they had been dancing moments before.

“Hey, Sheila, can I borrow you for a minute?” Jo asked.

“Right now?!” Dan answered crossly.

“It’s of a feminine nature unless you think you can help me out?” Jo sneered.

“Go on, Dan. I’ll be right behind you,” Sheila waved him off, blowing a sappy kiss in his direction.

“Fine, I’ve gotta take a leak anyway,” he said, adjusting himself blatantly before walking down the hall. When Sheila finished talking with Jo, she sauntered down the hall to join Dan in their room. Jo returned to her chair and book, blocking out the two remaining couples in the room.

An icy breeze whipped through the room. Jo pulled the blanket from the back of her chair, wrapping it tightly around he shoulders. Glancing around the room, she couldn’t see any open windows. The flame on the candle appeared undisturbed as well. As the clock on the mantel chimed midnight, a loud click echoed throughout the cabin.

“What was that?” Ashley whined from John’s lap.

“It’s nothing,” John assured her, pulling her face back to his. Jo did not feel so easily settled by John’s words. She tried to return to her reading, but something felt off. Moments later, she swore she could hear whispers.

“Do you hear that?” she asked. No one in the room felt inclined to stop their activities to listen with her. Sliding from her chair, Jo followed the sounds. The floorboards creaked under her feet with each step she took down the dimly lit hallway. Faint voices whispered from the shadow's edge. She could not make out their words, but with each step, they grew louder and louder. Then suddenly, the voices stopped. Jo found herself standing in front of the basement door. The hasp remained shut with the padlock clamped tight. Straining her ears, Jo waited for the sound to return, but no unfamiliar voices answered. Thinking it must be just the wind blowing in off the lake, she returned to her chair and read her book until a shrill scream pierced the air. Panic crossed every one of their faces.

“Sheila,” Jo mouthed, unable to make the words form.

Adam rolled out from under Heather on the couch and led the way down the hall with John hot on his heels. Heather, Jo, and Ashley were right behind them. Sheila stood in the doorway to the bathroom, white as a sheet. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

“What is it?” Heather asked, wrapping Sheila in her arms. Adam stepped into the bathroom and then emerged, shaking his head slowly. Ashley shrieked as she arrived at the door. John moved her up the hall, whispering gently before walking back to Adam.

Jo couldn’t believe her eyes. There on the bathroom floor, lay Dan, dead. His skin was tight and dry, and his eyes sunken in. He looked as if his life had been drained from him. There were no wounds to be seen anywhere on his body.

“What do we do?” John breathed low, looking at Adam.

“We should get help,” Jo replied, looking from one face to the other. They all just stood there, looking at her, then at each other. The hesitation caused her to see Jane’s face, wet and lifeless, in her arms.

“We should get help,” Jo repeated each word slowly and sternly.

“She’s right,” Adam finally nodded, pulling his cell phone from his pocket.

“Damn! Forgot there’s no service out here,” he swore, shoving the phone back in his pocket. Ashley ran to the landline phone on the wall between the kitchen and living room. Fear whitened her face as she returned the phone to its dock.

“The line’s dead.”

“What is going on?” Heather asked.

“One of us should drive to the Ranger’s station on the other side of the lake and call from there,” Adam suggested, walking to the front door.

“It’s locked,” he said.

“What do you mean it’s locked? Like you locked it when we got here, right?” Heather questioned, a worried tone in her voice.

“No, and I can’t turn the deadbolt. It’s stuck in the locked position,” Adam answered, pulling on the door. John stalked up the hall, narrowly missing Jo, as he went to the back door in the kitchen. A few moments later, he returned with a concerned look.

“It’s locked too,” he told them.

“This is ridiculous,” Adam grumbled, picking up his bat from the corner and walking up to the window where the candle still sat burning.

“We’ll just have to go through the window,” he said, raising the bat and preparing to swing. A thick fog cloud roiled outside the window. He leaned in to get a closer look. SLAM! A hand slapped the glass, causing him to stumble back. Then the whole ghostly cloud permeated through the window, grasping for him.

“What the Hell?!” He breathed, tripping over the coffee table as he turned to run towards Heather.

“This can’t be happening!” Sheila cried, sprinting to her room and slamming the door. Ashley reached for John through the archway that led to the kitchen.

“Run!” Jo shouted. Adam came flying down the hall, nearly pushing her and Heather into the other bedroom and swinging the door shut. There was a loud click. She could hear a low grind like the gears of a clock winding into place. The walls seemed to breathe and flex as the floor shifted. The whole room felt like it was spinning. Moments later, everything stilled.

“Sheila,” Heather threw the door open only to find the living room on the other side. Somehow they were now where the kitchen had once been. They went down the hall to find Sheila’s room empty. “Where could she have gone?” A chill ran up Jo’s spine as she caught a glimpse of a shadow dart across the floor.

“Did you see that?” she breathed.

“See what?” Heather’s voice trembled, her eyes darting quickly around the room.

“Come on. We have to find John, Ashley, and Sheila,” Adam said, grabbing Heather’s arm as he moved towards the stairs.

***

“John, what’s going on?” Ashley whispered, frantically grabbing his arm.

“I don’t know,” he answered, shaking loose of her grasp. John walked to the archway that had once been the entrance to the living room and ran his hand over the smooth, solid wall. It was as if the archway had never existed. A loud crash nearly made him jump as Ashley screeched. He reached for the broom in the corner and turned to face the sound. The trash can lay on its side; its contents spilled across the floor.

“That’s odd,” he said, scratching his head.

“J…Jo…John!” Ashley stuttered into a scream. He turned to see what had caused her to react in such a way, only to come face to face with a wretched ghostly figure; her spectral form caused his heart to beat even harder against his chest. With a heavy swing, the broom passed straight through the dark tendrils swarming around it. John’s eyes grew wide.

“Run!” He pushed Ashley across the kitchen, stumbling over the spilled trash. John’s shoulder crashed through a door on the opposite end. Clinging to poorly lit areas, the shadow swarmed after them.

John slammed the door.

“This way!” Ashley called out.

Faster, they ran down the hall. Looking over his shoulder, John watched the shadow squeeze through the cracks around the door like a black ooze. Not hesitating, John barreled through the door at the end of the hallway only to find himself standing back in the kitchen.

“What the hell?!” His panicked eyes looked for another path to escape.

“John! The pantry!” exclaimed Ashley.

Opening up the pantry, John and Ashley squeezed inside. The space was tight, with barely enough room for the two of them. The pantry door creaked closed as they peered through the slats. CRASH! The door busted open, colliding with the cabinets. Darkness had entered the room. The shadowy tendrils crawled over every surface. It was searching.

John held his hand over Ashely’s mouth to muffle her cries. Holding their breath, they watched as the shadow moved over the kitchen and vanished again through the doorway.

A sigh of relief parted John’s lips as he turned to face Ashley. Tears streamed down her face. His hands wrapped around her.

“We’re safe for now. Whatever that was is gone,” John tried to reassure her, but his heartbeat betrayed him.

“What..are..we going to do?” Ashley struggled to get the words out.

“We are going to find the others, and we are going to get out of this damn place.”

“You promise?”

“I promi..” The pantry door blew open as John was ripped from the pantry.

“JOHN! NO!” cried Ashley.

He tried to defend himself but couldn’t move. His limbs felt bound by some invisible force. The creature moved closer to him, nearly touching his face. He could make out the skeletal structure of what may have once been human but now was just a horrific phantom sucking the air from his lungs. He wanted to scream, but his throat was too dry, and his chest felt hollow. A faint light passed through the air between them. The aberration seemed to drink it in.

***

The candle’s flame burned on the window sill. Wax dripped onto the floor.

***

Just as Jo stood at the top of the landing, there was another loud click, and the house groaned. The boards of the stairs ripped away and started flying through the air. They ducked, covering their heads as wood planks swirled around them. She could hear the grinding again. One, two, three long grinds, and then the shifting stopped. Looking back at the stairs they had just climbed, they found a wall with a closed-door instead.

“What in the Devil’s name is going on?” Adam growled. A high-pitched scream froze them all where they stood. Adam swung the door open to find Ashley kneeling beside John’s body on the kitchen floor. Jo ran in, wrapping her arms around Ashley to comfort her. She sobbed into Jo’s shoulder.

“It was awful,” she gulped. “I’ve never seen anything like it.” Jo pulled back from Ashley so she could see her face.

“What are you saying?” Adam asked.

“A horribly disfigured ghostly creature. It was like she sucked the life right out of John. There was nothing we could do,” Ashley explained between gasps. Adam knelt to check for a pulse. John’s body was unnaturally cold to the touch. No pulse to be found.

“We have to find Sheila,” Heather said, reaching for the door to the pantry that they had just stepped through. A loud click echoed through the room.

“Oh no,” Jo breathed. Heather pulled on the handle, but the door would not budge. That familiar grinding reverberated in their ears. Ashley’s grip tightened on Jo. The room felt like it was spinning as a crack spread across the wall. Paint peeled as the sheetrock crumbled away, revealing the archway once more. Instead of the living room, they were now staring down the long hallway. Adam tightened his grip on the bat in his hand.

“Let’s go find Sheila,” he said, leading the way up the hall. Heather followed closely behind him as Jo helped Ashley to her feet and dragged her along. Just as they passed through the archway, the door slammed shut, causing them all to jump. Heather grabbed Adam’s hand as they continued up the hall. He turned every door handle as they moved by, but every door was locked. Finally, one gave way, and he stepped in just as that loud click sounded again, causing them all to go stiff. Adam turned to look at Heather just as the door to the bedroom slammed shut between them.

“No!” Heather shouted, yanking on the handle, but it would not budge. Jo ran up to help push on it with her, attempting to force it open. On her third ram against the hardwood, Jo saw something move out of the corner of her eye. She turned to look back and saw a ghostly arm extend out of the open door behind Ashley.

“Watch out!” Jo shouted, stepping towards her. Ashley spun around to see the phantom’s half-rotted skeletal hand as it grabbed her by the throat and dragged her into the bedroom. Jo and Heather arrived at the door too late. It was already shut and locked like the other. Grinding gears began to sound as the room started to shift again. They braced against the walls to stabilize themselves just as the boards tore loose and began spinning around them. Heather reached for Jo, and they clung to each other until the room calmed.

***

Ashley flailed, desperately trying to make contact with the wicked creature dragging her away. Suddenly, the grip around her throat loosened, and she found herself alone on her knees in one of the bedrooms. Frantically she searched the room and, seeing no sign of the monster, started looking for a way out. The door she had been dragged through was locked. She walked around the bed to try the closet but stopped short. There on the floor, lay Sheila, lifeless. Her face contorted in fear. A cold shiver ran up Ashley’s spine. There was no wind, but her hair moved across the back of her neck as the chill spread around her throat. Out of the black, hollow orbs with a single flame met her gaze. Warmth spread through her body as terror shook her bones. Darkness consumed her as her lips parted in a silent scream.

***

Adam spun around and yanked on the door handle. Locked. He slammed his fist against the door, but it wouldn’t give. A cold wind chilled the sweat on his skin. He turned quickly, bat raised, ready for a fight. A shadow moved in the corner. He flinched as the creature floated through the air towards him. The creature was vile. More skeleton than ghost now. Muscle and sinew in patches across its body as it hung in the air before him. It cocked its head to one side as if confused by his presence. Reaching a boney hand towards him, it moved forward. Adam swung at it, bracing for impact, but it was too quick. It swirled through the air, stopping momentarily to look back at him before pressing through the wall. Grinding gears caught his attention as the room began to spin.

***

Wax covered most of the window sill. The candle continued to burn.

***

Jo and Heather opened their eyes as the room quieted. They were back in the loft now. They squealed as the closet door flung open, and Adam fell through.

“Thank God!” Heather shouted, running to him. Briefly, they embraced before Heather spoke again. “We haven’t found Sheila, and we lost Ashley.”

“Ok, let’s start searching,” Adam answered, heading towards the stairs. Standing at the base of the stairwell, they found themselves in another bedroom. Only one door on the other side. What should have been a closet opened into the kitchen. This room was also empty. Walking through the archway out of the kitchen, a loud click froze them where they stood. Expecting the room to start spinning, they swung around, looking for something to hold onto, but everything remained still. Gears began grinding as the wooden planks on the floor started to quake. Adam ducked as one of the boards tore from the floor and flew passed him, narrowly missing his head.

“Adam!” Heather cried as a hole opened, swallowing her. Adam dove for her but was too late. The planks stitched themselves back together before he had a chance to reach for her.

“Come on!” He shouted at Jo, throwing the door open and running down the hall. Opening each door as he passed it, he glanced in and then moved to the next. When Jo caught up to him, he stood motionless in the doorway of the last room in the house. There lay Ashley and Sheila. Both dead. Hollow and disfigured like the others.

“There’s one place we haven’t checked yet,” Jo offered.

“We’ve been in every room in this awful place. Where else is there to look?” Adam responded, face sullen as he looked at their friends.

“We haven’t checked the basement,” Jo said, pointing to the back of the house. The door had a padlock on it. The basement was the one place they weren’t allowed to go when they came here. Now, for some reason, the lock was gone. The door was slightly ajar, beckoning to them.

***

Pain shot through Heather’s shoulder as she rolled over. Her hands touched the cool stone floor as she pushed herself into a seated position. The room was dark except for the candlelight in the center and on the far end of the room. Dread oozed from every corner. Standing up, Heather slowly shifted her feet forward. Step by step, she got closer to the candlelight. The small set of candles was arranged in a half-circle in the center of the room. A bowl with a dark liquid inside, a watch, and an old leather-bound book lay before the candles. Leaning over, Heather picked the book up and whipped the dust from its cover.

“The grimoire of Faye Rodgers,” Heather whispered. “Wait, isn’t that…”

Two amber eyes pierced the darkness. With its outstretched hand, Heather was thrown from the light and into the shadows. With a thud, the leather-bound book collided with the stone floor.

***

An eerie glow emanated from the bottom of the stairs. As Adam and Jo descended into the basement, they could hear Heather’s soft cries. Stopping short of entering the open unfinished space, Adam slowly leaned around the doorway to see what awaited him on the other side. Heather stood, appearing bound by some invisible force. The gruesome witch had taken on a more substantial form now. She was almost beautiful if it weren't for the burn marks covering most of her body and patches of her face and scalp. He signaled for Jo to stay put as he gripped the bat tightly. With the witch’s back to him, he ran out, bat raised. He cried out in rage as he approached but was stopped mid-swing. He could feel a powerful force weave its way around his legs and snake up his body until every muscle felt like it had been turned to stone.

"Thank you for joining us," the witch turned her eyes towards him. One glowed a beautiful amber reflecting the candlelight in the room. The other was a hollow black hole in her face. A milky white substance drained down her cheek as if she was still burning in that fire from centuries ago. He choked back the bile rising in his throat. He could smell her flesh burning. Everything in him wanted to run, but he couldn't leave Heather. As Adam's eyes met hers, more than fear filled them. Heather started to speak, but her mouth snapped shut with a crack.

"We've heard more than enough from you," the witch glowered. With a flick of her wrist, a thread appeared and wove itself through Heather's lips. Tears poured from her eyes, and her voice went hoarse from her muffled screams. With a wave of her arm, the witch pulled Heather through the air so that she stood before her. The witch was so close to Heather that their noses nearly touched. Her lips parted as she inhaled deeply. A faint light passed from Heather to the witch. As Heather's skin began to tighten and desiccate, Adam could see the witch's burnt flesh weave back together. The empty socket began to fill as a new eye formed. Heather’s body dropped, lifeless, on the basement floor with a loud thud.

“How does it feel, Adam?” A familiar voice whispered. His vision was blurred with tears as he looked down at Heather. “How does it feel to watch the one you love die while no one does a thing about it?” Jo asked. He blinked his eyes clear and saw her standing in front of a shrine. Jane’s senior picture in an old gold frame sitting on a small table, the wall behind it draped in lace. Candles burned around her photo. The half-heart necklace she always wore was lying beside it. He realized then that Jo was still wearing its counterpart.

“Selfish…” the words hissed in his ear. A second witch was now standing close enough for him to see her. She was equally beautiful and disfigured as the witch standing before him.

“I saved you for last,” Jo said, pulling a small coin from Heather’s sweater pocket. “I wanted to make sure you felt the pain you put me through that night before I let her have you too.” The fierceness in Jo’s eyes was unlike anything he had ever seen before as she slipped the old coin into his shirt pocket. “Goodbye, Adam,” Jo said as she walked away.

***

The flame extinguished, the wax melted, and stillness returned to the cabin.

***

The wind blew through her hair as Josephine stood outside the cabin. In her arms clutched a photo. A hand was placed on each of her shoulders.

“Thank you for reuniting us.” An alluring voice spoke from behind her right shoulder.

“Fledgling, let us return what is lost,” a second voice nearly as enchanting as the first offered over her left shoulder. The three of them walked into the night.

***

“Wow, that was a good one,” Brittney said, peeking out from under her blanket.

“Felt a little redundant to me,” Tony said, walking to the kitchen for another beer.

“I thought it was one of your best,” Jo said, setting the lit candle on the window sill and rejoining Jane on the love seat. “It’s so good to have you back, my love,” she whispered as the candle flame reflected in Jane’s eyes.

Jane smiled and placed a hand on Jo’s cheek, “Our love is eternal and will never fade, Josephine Rodgers.”

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

(When two hearts become one, it cannot be undone. A promise has been made and cannot be broken or swayed. For this love is eternal and will not fade.”~Charlene M. Martin)