The Axe Lady's Curse

When I was ten years old my family and I spent the Summer in the countryside, in England. We rented a cottage in the woods. I was an only child, an adventurous girl, so I spent my days exploring alone.

“Don't cross the river,” my Dad would tell me.

So I would explore the woods and go as far as the river. I didn't think it fair that I wasn't allowed to cross the river. It was only shallow and I saw no danger whatsoever. I felt that my Dad knew a secret about the river, which he didn't want to tell me. Of course I wanted to know the secret! So one afternoon I decided to find out what was so mysterious about crossing the river.

I took off my socks, got safely to the other side of the river, there was nothing to be afraid of! I happily walked along the river bank, then to my horror, a lady, dressed in black, holding an axe came running towards me. I screamed and ran for my life. I made it back to the cottage. I never told my parents what had happened for fear of being told off for not doing as I had been told. I kept what had happened to myself.

This was thirty one years ago. Last year I began seeing the axe lady in my dreams, screaming at me, chasing me, like she is unable to rest, she needed help. It was last year that I decided to return to the river, to investigate who the woman was and to put an end to my nightmares. I needed closure. My life was hard enough, for reasons that I don't know, my parents had disowned me years ago.

Believe me I was afraid. But I had to return. I needed answers to the secret which I had kept to myself for thirty years. The cottage where we stayed was long gone. The woods looked very different. I found the river and followed it, I remembered near to where I crossed the river were two willow trees, so I hoped that they were still there. That was all I had to go on.

I finally found the willow trees, which had grown tremendously, I knew that this was the point to cross the river. As I walked across my heart was pounding, my body shaking. I was alone in the woods, nobody knew that I was there. My only protection was a pocket knife. But I carried on. I was desperate, the nightmares were over taking my life, driving me crazy. I had no other choice than to investigate what was going on. My sanity, my life, depended on it.

I started walking along the river bank, feeling like that frightened ten year old girl again. I didn't know what my fate was going to be. There was no sign of the axe lady. Then suddenly the air felt cold, the wind picked up, I felt a presence standing behind me. My body froze. Trembling, I managed to turn around, There stood before me was the axe lady. Her face was pure evil. I could see straight through her. I knew that I was dealing with a ghost.

“I have been waiting for you to arrive,” said the ax lady, evilly.

“Who are you? Why have you been haunting my dreams? What do you want from me?” I said, terrified.

“I was meant to catch you that day thirty years ago. But you ran so fast that I couldn't catch you. It was the same with your Father, when he was ten years old and I could not catch him either.”

I realised why my Dad was so adamant that I didn't cross the river. He had had the same experience as I had.

“Why did you want to catch me?” I asked.

“As it was your time to go. Your father knew that you would cross the river, every night your parents hoped that you wouldn't return, they planned to get rid of you. It would have been the perfect alibi, daughter got lost in woods, never to be seen again, no body, no evidence. Just disappeared.”

“No, no. That is not true,” I said, crying.

“Your Father knew that I was still here. He saw me when he was fishing.”

“What do you want from me?” I screamed.

“I have been walking the banks of this river for over a hundred years. The only way that I can move on to the spirit world, is by taking the life of a ten year old child. You see I was cursed by an evil witch. Until I fulfil my curse I will walk these banks for eternity.”

“But I am forty years old now.”

“But you were once my ten year old victim.”

The axe lady ran towards me with her axe. I ran as fast as I could. But I was in the middle of nowhere, with nowhere to hide. I knew that I had to get her to the spirit world before she killed me, or made a ten year old child her victim.

I came to a disused Church, and ran inside. Surely she wouldn't enter Holy grounds. I made it to the altar, ghasping, catching my breath. Everything was quiet. Then she appeared.

“I will take your life. I must take the chance that you will free me to the spirit world,” the axe lady screamed.

In a panic I pulled my digital camera out of my pocket and flashed it. She had never seen a camera before and thought that the flash was a spell. She froze. I threw Holy water at her.

“No, not Holy water,” the axe lady cried.

With that she disappeared. The Holy water had broken her curse. She passed to the spirit world. From that day on I never saw her in my dreams again. As for my parents, they still remain a mystery.