Campfire Ghost Stories

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

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! I don’t think you need to tell this story, Tommy.”

“What, don’t you want to hear the story or not?”

“Sure, but what about you girls?”

“Julie do you and Tessa, what about you?”

Both girls looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders, then looked to Brad and over at Tommy who was putting another marshmallow on his stick.

“Sure. Why not. It’s not a marshmallow cook out without a story,” Tessa said.

“Ooooo, kay,” Tommy replied as he held his marshmallow over the flame.

“Like I was saying just before I was rudely interrupted,” he said with a sidewards glance at Brad.

“Nobody knew when the cabin was built. Some say in the late, some say early eighteen hundreds. Nobody knows for sure? The cabin sits off back in the woods and is well hidden among the trees and bushes. It’s far enough from the coast facing the rising sun, but if you venture too close to the edge you will surely fall off to your death on the jagged rocks below. Rumored to have been built by Captain Roland Dawson for his newly wed wife, Constance McNeel.

“Captain Dawson was a dapper man, still slightly handsome for his age. He made sure his captain uniform was spotless and his boots polished to a shine. With his salt and pepper hair slicked back under his captain's hat and kept his beard trimmed with a handle bar mustache. He stood tall with a well-built body for his six feet two-inch frame.

Constance was said to be a young beautiful woman, from some part of England. With long dark hair, framing an oval shape face, eye’s the color of the bluest, clearest sky, high cheek bones, full lips and slender neck. She was a very petite woman next to her tall seasoned Captain. He was much, much older than her, by at least thirty years but once laying eyes on her he fell deeply in love.

“Since Captain Dawson was at sea most of the year, he sailed a merchet ship under the name of The SS Northern Horizen. He instructed his new wife to place a candle in the window every night upon his return. The very fact that Captain Dawson placed the cabin where he did was so when he was sailing back in, he would be able to spot the burning candle through his telescope from his ship.

“Constance did this every night until he returned home to her. Their marriage wasn’t fruitful, even though she prayed for a baby. Captain Dawson knew that his young wife wanted children and yet nothing came of their union. To help her cope Captain Dawson started bringing her gifts from his journeys to bring a smile to her beautiful face.

“Silks from China, tea from Asia, a beautiful parrot from Mexico, things from her own home country like fine china, vases, clocks, books and the newest dresses and shoes. The one most prized and important thing to her was the little decorated wooden carillons ‘a musique that you wind up and it would play music. Every night she would wind it up and fall asleep to the music of The Blue Danube. The chimes of music relaxing her as it would play.

“Years went by and Constance every night lite the candle and placed it in the window. She was content, happy with her life. The garden and her flower beds kept her busy in the days, cooking in the evening, sitting in her chair to read her books and wait for her captain husband to sail back to her.

“Then time went by, then months and finally years and Captain Dawson never returned. Constance knew that her husband wasn’t ever coming home. The fear inside her told her that he was dead and she knew she would never see her beloved husband again. Constance started wearing black mourning her husband. She walked the small cabin tears in her eyes as she touched or held the beautiful objects, he brought back for her. With a broken heart and soul Constance one night dressed in her black dress and vail, lite the candle and set it in the window then winded up the music box by the bed and walked out the door. The chill in the night air smelled of rain on its way with the dark eerie clouds trying to take the moon away. Constance walked towards the cliff as the wind pick up blowing her long dress around her legs and she had to hold the vail on her head so it wouldn’t blow away.

“Once at the edge she glanced out over the rolling sea hearing it smashing up on the jagged rocks below. She stood there sobbing, deep agonizing sounds coming from her throat. She knew she couldn’t live anymore without her captain as she leaned forwards felling over the edge.

“Her body was found a few days later by a couple of men out fishing just off the coast. Nobody knew who she was or where she came from so the town buried her in an unmark grave.

“Give me another marshmallow, Brad,” Tommy said reaching his hand out towards Brad taking it and placing it on his stick; then putting it over the fire.

“Come on, Sara!” he said pulling her behind him. “We got to find somewhere safe to get out of this storm.”

“Wait!” she gasped stopping. “I see a light over there, let’s go and see if they will let us stay until the storm passes?” They headed towards the light only to discover as they got closer it was a candle in the window. As they approached the cabin Sara said, “I don’t know about this, Billy.”

“You were the one that seen the light. Come on let’s just knock on the door,” Billy said squeezing her hand for encouragement. Sara walked behind him staying close.

“Once they were close enough, they could tell it a was very old dilapidated cabin. Who would want to try and stay here in this place? But somebody had to be here why else was there a lite candle. The door stood open and Billy peered inside for a friendly face as he yelled out, “Hello! Anybody here! Do you think me and my girl can come in out of the storm until its passes?”

No answer came.

“Maybe they had already left and just forgot about the candle,” Billy said over his shoulder to Sara. “Let’s go on in.”

“Once inside Billy shut the door behind them. The door gave off a set of squeaks from the old rusted hinges. “Let's see if the fireplace still works? We will warm up in a minute or so.”

“You sure the place won’t burn down,” Sara said holding herself trying to hold back the shivers from her cold body. She glanced around the room. Were her eyes deceiving her in the darken room? With the only light being the candle, the room seemed to appear in excellent condition with nice really old furniture.

“There we go,” Billy said as he stood up after the fire was at full blaze and turned around and said in shock, “What the...?” He seen the room for the really first time. He couldn’t believe his eyes as he glanced around.

“I know. I can’t believe it either. How can this be, Billy?” Sara asked as she walked around the room taking in the sights.

“I don’t know.” he replied. “Let’s not worry about it. We need to get warm.”

“Let me blow that candle out first,” Sara said as she walked over to the table, inhaled a breath full of air and blew the candle out.

“Sara sits between Billy’s legs as he wraps his arms around her.

“They sit quietly in front of the fire both warming, quiet and listening to the fire crackle and the rain pouring and the wind blow outside.

“Why!?”

“Sara sits up with a jolt. What was that she had heard? It sounded ghostly and angry. She glancing around looking for Billy. He was gone. “Billy!” she whispers loudly.

“Billy this isn’t funny,” Sara says getting up to her feet.

“Why!?” came the ghostly watery sound again.

“Why, what are you talking about?” Sara whispers.

“Then a shadow appears.

“Sara could tell it was a figure in black as she turns to run for the door.

“Why, did you blow out the candle!?” came the ghostly watery sound of the voice.

“Sara made it to the door, grabbing the handle to pull the door open but it wouldn’t budge. It wouldn’t open no matter how hard Sara pulled. She was now in a state of panic. She didn’t know where Billy went and now, she was locked inside.

“Still holding onto the door handle, the hairs on the back her neck standing up as chills ran down her back, she could feel the ghostly figure now behind her. Turning slowly around Sara lets out this blood cuddly scream. Staring back at her with empty eye sockets was this black clad figure with half the left side of its skull missing, loose dead skin hanging from the cheeks and chin, its broken bones held together by the same hanging muscle skin. “Why did you blow out the candle!” it hissed spewing water from its half-covered lips and teeth.

“Sara darts around it, she’s got to get away. But how? She thought as she ran for what she believed was the bedroom and slammed the door behind her. Trying to breathe, heart pounding and her legs shaking so back she could hardly stand. Darkness swam before her eyes as she fought off the feeling of fainting. Clutching her chest and taking in deep breathes and letting it out slowly she scanned the room. It was the bedroom and just like the rest of the cabin it was in excellence condition. The small bed made up with the pillows, armoire, vanity with a clean mirror and small cushion chair in place, a set of chairs facing each other sitting right beside the only window in the room. That’s got to be the only way-out Sara thought to herself as she moved as fast as he could towards the wind. She tries to raise it, but it’s stuck.

“By now Sara’s fear has turned to tears. She has no idea where Billy is or what's going to happen to her if she can’t save herself?

“It was behind her again as she slowly turned around to stare at the hideous thing. It was staring her up and down with its empty eye's sockets.

"Now he won’t come because you blew the candle out!” it hissed with the same gurgling watery voice.

“Wh,wh, who?” Sara was finally able to say trying to move away.

“My Captain!” it said blocking her from moving.

“What did you do to Billy?”

“You’ll never see him again! Now, my pain will be your pain,” the figure said as it moved over to the bedside table picking up the music box and winding it up and placed it back down.

“Sara heard the music coming from the box. Without trying her body started moving towards the opening bedroom door and then the front door slowly opened door.

“Stop! Please stop!” Sara yelled but the ghostly figured was gone. Once outside Sara started seeing things. She was seeing through the ghostly figure's eyes. She was clad in the same black dress, the veil and crying. The pain in her chest was immense as tears ran down her face. The hallow emptiness of lost love.

“Now Sara was standing at the cliff’s edge staring out over the sea and the roar of it crashing against the jagged rocks below, she knew what was going to happen.

“With her last ounce of strength Sara pleading said, “Please no.”

“With a scream Sara fell from the edge. In her mind's eye she knew where Billy was. He was at the bottom of the sea in the ship. Then she hits the jagged rocks.