The Party Train

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. The deep yellow and ruby red flames flickered high over the wick as if to wave “stop here” for all those able to see it. Well, someone did see it.

Jamie, a very troubled 21 year old male went on another drunken binge, looking for a challenge for the night, once again Jamie jumped behind the wheel of his dads new truck without permission and recklessly sped off into the night. He indulged in frightful things, he adored risking his life, and paining others deep in their hearts, he said it kept things interesting. He always looked for a good party.

With his long blonde hair flowing out of the rolled down, driver window, and the rock music blasting loudly and echoing down the darkened road, Jamie picked up speed running about 90 plus miles an hour. His pale white skin glowed in the midnight hour and the pictures of his tattoos confirmed most of the horrible things in life he had done so far. This young man was like no other. Jamie was one that had issues with respect for not only his elders but for others, period. He cursed at his parents, hit and kicked his parents, slapped teachers, robbed people at gun point with a gun he stole from the neighbors house, while they were away on vacation. He even hired his friends to break into his grandparents home, they took all of their valuable jewelry, kept some and sold some for drug money. Jamie was no stranger to the juvenile nor jail system as he felt pride for being a frequent guest over the years. Jamie was on a fast track to Hell!

As he sped down the darkened road he suddenly drove past what looked to be a beautiful young lady running through the woods. He also immediately noticed the burning, dancing flame waving in the window of the usually abandoned cabin.

Being from that area, Jamie knew the candle should not have been burning in the window so, of course without hesitation, he pulled over, he figured he’d find the girl inside. He found himself upon the shabby porch and stepped inside.

His curiosity led him to quickly scan the room. The first thing he noticed, the candle was no longer burning. The next noticed, the entire cabin was completely dark. There were no signs of anyone being there. Jamie began feeling a bit beside himself, stepped outside, took a quick peek back into the window and through his fright filled eyes, the candle was still burning. He immediately stepped back inside and this time the door slowly closed behind him. When it closed, he could hear it seal tight as if all of the air in the cabin evaporated. Jamie’s soul shook as he scanned the room again and discovered the candle burned on the outside looking into the cabin, but when inside the dancing flame danced no more.

Pitch darkness took over the entire cabin and that’s when the faint sound of a young woman’s voice began to speak. She greeted Jamie by his name, welcomed him to the party train. Jamie felt relieved as he heard the sound of another persons voice. He asked her to relight the candle so that he could see her beautiful face. The young lady stated she would be happy to do so once it was time to leave but that she was waiting for one more guest to join them. She advised, from there they had a few more stops to make before leaving for their final destination, the big party. Suddenly the light came on in Jamie’s unthoughtful mind and he asked the young lady how did she know his name, she answered him stating she had heard it a lot around town over the years and that she only party with the best of the bad guys. Jamie took her compliment with pride because in his mind, the more bad you are, the better or cooler you are.

Suddenly the door made a weird hissing noise as if the air tight seal had been released. The door seem to open and shut but no one was seen. The young lady began to speak just like she did when she greeted Jamie. Jamie heard 2 more unfamiliar voices. One a male and the other another female. Jamie thought it was cool that other guests were arriving. The new two people said hello as they too sounded curious but couldn’t see Jamie nor the young lady either. The door made another sound that confirmed to Jamie it was resealed and tight.

Once the door sealed the faint sound of many other voices began to come clear. At the same time, another door opened inside the cabin, leading to another even darker area. The young lady that greeted everyone, firmly advised to step into the door of the darker area as it was the entrance to the train that will take them to the big party. Jamie heard the fear in the voice of the other two guests, as they agreed to step inside the entrance to the darker area. Jamie too felt fear and reluctantly stepped inside but quickly felt he had no choice as someones hand shoved him in the back.

When Jamie stepped inside the area, the place reeked of the smell of rotten flesh, and the heat was unbearable. He couldn’t see anything and could barely hear. The luring young lady was gone and although Jamie could hear around him, he could not hear clearly.

Of course, now Jamie decided he’d rather leave this party as he had never been inside this cabin before, only always sped passed it. He regretted stopping and desperately wanted to find his way out, unfortunately, finding his way out did not happen.

The sounds of the faint voices suddenly became loud and clear, the sounds were not sounds of happy party goers but the cries of deep regret.

Jamie swallowed his heart as he briskly ran around trying to feel his way out. When he touched the walls his hand felt something like flesh, when he ran into what seemed to be other people, they smelled horrific, felt sticky, warped and gummy as well, just like the walls.

The deeper Jamie ran toward the back, looking for at least some light or a back door, the worser the cries, the worser the smell, the worser the sticky and gummy that surrounded him. He turned around so much, feeling confused, trying to find a way out, he noticed he felt lost and knee deep in flesh, and other mess.

The cabin began to terribly shake but only from the inside, the outside stood strong yet shabby as usual. The big time thug, bad guy, deep drinking, fast driving, rampaging crook also known as Jamie, was now in tears as he remembered growing up he was always told that a disobedient child’s days will be numbered. Although Jamie was and barely just turned 21, he had been terribly disobedient over the majority of his life.

The train began to move but without the sounds of , nor the movement of a regular train. This train had more of a sliding motion, no seats and there were only two windows, and those were way up front of the train. Jamie ran back up front, as fast as he could, stepping in and on things he couldn’t see. Sadly, in the mush he lost his shoes and all the valuable stolen jewelry he was wearing but those things were no longer important.

Sweating and dying of thirst, being sucked deeply into the walls of his surroundings, feeling a sucking sensation slowly pulling strength and flesh from his body, Jamie managed to look out the window of the train. As the train slid away from its borrowed entrance, he caught a glimpse of the train in the window of the cabin where the candle no longer burned. He noticed the window of the train he looked out from, was no window at all but proved to be an eye. Suddenly he so badly wanted the ability to kill himself but that would have been merciful and Jamie didn’t offer mercy to anyone, so in return, mercy was not offered to him. To his horrid surprise he realized he willingly walked into and was standing in the first class section of the belly of a gargantuan snake. He frantically looked all around him in the darkness that barely became visible enough for Jamie to see the figures of many souls. Those poor souls were being held and tightly squeezed until all of the flesh of every person swallowed was now stuck to the inner walls of the belly of this snake, providing the snake it’s much needed nourishment . The thousands of cries were only heard by those swallowed.

Jamie could hear the sounds of flesh eating flesh, slurping skin, veins, and meat, right off the over ripened bones of all those on the train, their blood quenched the thirst of the over heated beast.

Jamie began to think about all the tears from his parents, the pleading from his grandparents, the hopeless faces of everyone he pained in his life but it was much too late. There was a sudden realization that Jamie had to face, he was now literally and truly on the fast track to Hell.

You see, the candle in the window of the cabin danced only for those outside. It’s job was to lure Jamie and all those like him to the party train. No need to light the way once inside, as the Leviathan knows how to get to the party, it knows its way home.

The candle is still lit for those whose actions in life, show them the dancing flame. Just live your life like Jamie and I promise, you will see the lit candle in a window, beautifully dancing a hypnotic dance, luring you where you are also choosing to go in life. Will the candle burn to show you more light or will it burn to show you more darkness, it is totally up to you, just like it was totally up to Jamie.

Whether it be in your neck of the woods or any where else, there will always be an abandoned cabin in the woods with a candle burning in the window.