The Witches Tongue

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. Five young children sought out fortune and fame by sneaking out toward the forbidden cabin of Woven to record their experiences of what they found. They lit the Witches’ candle to perform the ceremony that would lift the curse from the town.

The campground had been shut down since the horrific events of the Summer of 88’ as a young student by the name of Morgyn le’Ru became possessed by a dark spirit after she had touched the “Witches Tongue”. After coming into contact she began to have erratic behavior. The young girl began to scare the children of the cabin and even the cabin counselor with her disturbing paintings and her speaking to shadows that would morph into strange symbols. Morgyn began to speak in strange tongues claiming that the Witch is taking over her body and that everyone’s souls would be taken in their sleep.

Upon that very night, everyone in that cabin including Morgyn disappeared and was not seen ever again. The town was never the same after that night. Many of the townsfolk fell into a great depression and were never the same again. The campgrounds were to be demolished by the command of the mayor but the cabin that was cursed by the Witch could not be brought down. Bulldozers stopped working within several feet and workers who tried to remove items from the cabin claimed they disappeared from their hands and reappeared at the very place they had taken them.

A month after the disappearance, the boyfriend of the cabin counselor that disappeared came back to seem justice. He was followed by a police officer who was a close friend of his to the cabin after ranting about burning that demon’s hut to the ground.

As they arrived the police officer pleaded with his friend to come back with him but was ignored. The counselor went inside the cabin and began to pour gasoline inside and stepped out in front holding a lighter. The police officer told him to slowly back away, but he did not care. All he wanted was to see that cabin burn.

As he dropped the lighter the flames began to trail into the cabin. The police officer grabbed him and pulled him back. Within the cabin, the fire was suddenly snuffed out, and inside went pitch black. The counselor combusted into flames right before the police officer’s eyes. The counselor’s life was saved by his friend’s fast response by putting them out with their jackets.

The officer explained in his report what he had seen and that something unnatural was in Woven. After recovering from his burns and returning home he spoke to his friend about visions of how to stop the curse. He stated in his report that Morgyn le’Ru spoke of the candle she had created to help those who slept in the cabin. Somehow the candle was snuffed out when Morgyn attempted to enter the dream realm to vanquish the Witch.

With the testimony of both the counselor and the officer, the campgrounds were to be protected from entering. The Rangers spent years protecting those seeking to camp but they too began to disappear. Eventually, the town of Woven became a ghost town as no one could afford to protect the cursed campground.

Over thirty years later a teacher from the high school of Haven decided to reopen a camp in the ghost town of Woven to show the history of what was once a pleasant peaceful town. Upon his first orientation, all the students would select an animal to be their nature camp name. This is the story of five brave freshmen who decided to sneak out one moonlit night to record their discovery of “The Curse of the Witches Tongue.”

Bug, Jackalope, and Snake had planned to make their own documentary of their stay in the Witch’s cabin of the cursed Woven Campgrounds since they were in sixth grade. They ended up talking to their other bunkmates Falcon, and his brother Fox to join in on the fun. Falcon and Fox were new to the school and were eager to make some new friends, so they accepted.

All the children’s phones were taken upon arriving at the camp, but Bug was prepared and snuck it under his hat. Everyone knew the story of the cursed cabin, but Fox and Falcon. The brothers were not allowed to watch scary movies and felt uneasy about the trip but wanted to fit in. Upon finishing the camp song, the counselors had a meeting and told the children to stay in their cabins until morning and that they would have a great day planned for them including the favorite Banana slug hunt.

As the children made their way outside of the campgrounds headed toward Woven’s peak where the cursed cabin awaited them. Falcon asked where they were headed and why. Bug began to tell the tale of the Witch and how she was also once a camper and this very camp thirty-three years ago.

“So, there was this girl named Morgyn le’Ru who was I guess related to that King Arthur enchantress Morgyn le Fay and had superpowers and stuff! Then, and then umm she like cut out her tongue and ate other kids!” Bug began to say quickly and was cut off by Snake.

“Bug shut it. You are speaking too fast and saying it all wrong.” Fox and Falcon looked at each other nervously as Snake pushed Bug aside and put her arm around Fox and Falcon.

“See, where we are going is a place that is cursed by the original big bad Witch Morgyn le Fay from the tale of King Arthur.” Snake stated.

“Wait King Arthur is real?” Fox asked.

“Quiet, yes, let me continue?” Snake shrugged at Fox.

Fox nodded “Sorry.”

“So, this curse was not told in the original storybooks. People made it be believed that it was fiction. Just some razzle-dazzle for the nerd kids that play DnD and stuff.” Snake said before being interrupted by Bug.

“But you play DnD with us all the time?” Bug said behind poking the ground with a stick.

“Yeah, I am a nerd, we all are. I can say that stuff without being offended. Can I please continue?! No more words? Zip! It! Now!” Snake said stopping and turning around at Bug. Bug then placed his fingers across his lips and mimicked it being zipped up. Locking his mouth then handed over Snake the fictional key.

“I am putting this away! If you disturb me one more time and if the Witch comes after us, you are the first one I am going to sacrifice!” Snake hissed.

Jackalope gives Bug a little punch on the arm and laughs. “Umm, you’re in trouble!” As she giggles to herself.

“With no more interruptions please, we need to prepare Fox and Falcon for the ritual to destroy the Witch for good.” Snake said as she took both of their hands.

“Tell them about the Banana Slug!” Bug peeked his head over and said with a smile.

Snake rolled her eyes and stopped and looked at Jackalope. “Do it.”

Jackalope took out a handkerchief from her pocket and tied it around Bug’s mouth. “You are going to come up front with me and leave them to it!”

“For the hundredth time let me begin with what happened in the beginning.” Snake said as she watched as Bug and Jackalope passed.

“It has always been a camp tradition to find a banana slug upon your exploration of the forest. I guess it was said to be good luck to give it a lick by the camp counselors. There were rumors that Morgyn had bloodlines leading back to the enchantress Morgyn le Fay of the legendary King Arthur as I said before.” Snake stated as she then stopped to reach for her bottle of water releasing Fox’s hand.

Bug turned around to notice Snake still holding Falcon’s hand and ruffled his nose and let out a grunt. “Jealous much?” Jackalope teased. Bug rolled his eyes and continued onward.

Snake began to continue. “There is a chemical in the slug’s slime that numbs your tongue, and it is supposed to be a fun memory to have when you go on your camp trip, but something happened when Morgyn le’Ru was dared into licking the slug that no others dared to lick. This Banana slug was dark and was sitting inside a nest of dead flowers.” Snake paused as she began to gag.

Jackalope laughs to herself. “She always throws up when talking about this part.” Snake continued after pausing to dry heave in a bush.

“Except the banana slug that Morgyn picked up was the Witches Tongue!” Snake cringed.

“Nuh-uh. You are trying to just scare us! You know we don’t watch scary movies and stuff!” Fox said.

“It is alright Fox, there is nothing to be afraid of brother,” Falcon said to comfort Fox.

“Upon tasting the slime from the Witches Tongue, Morgyne was transferred the power of her ancestor as tasting the slime of the slug would bind them together. Morgyn then began to speak in strange tongues.” Snake said as she then began to mimic what the sounds would sound like.

“Gunter glieben glauchen bloben!” Snake said in a deep voice.

“That is from a Def Leppard song!” Falcon said laughing at Snake as he turned toward her.

“Your right I had no idea of what she said.” Snake replied. She then grinned at Falcon “You must have good taste in music to know Rock of Ages.”

Falcon smiled back and took a deep breath. “Well, I heard enough of the story. I know you are hazing the new kids and we will just help in whatever way we can. Right Fox.” Falcon said to his brother.

Fox shook his head yes. An hour passed and they had finally reached the Cabin. Bug pulled down the gag and shouted, “We are here!” In his creepiest voice.

"What do we have to do?" Falcon asked Snake.

"First things first we need to break in. I found this really big rock!" Bug said as he picked up a stone tossing it in both hands up and down with his eyes wide with excitement.

"I got the door open!" Jackalope said as she gave the door handle a nice tug.

Bug dropped the rock. "Ah man, I never get to have any fun!"

"There is a candle made by Morgyn le'Ru that we have to find first. Jackalope goes with Bug using the flashlight on his phone. I will go with Falcon and Fox with their heavy-ass old-school light.”

The children split up and began to explore the Cabin noticing that for a place that has not been touched in thirty years it was unexpectedly well kept. The cabin mascot banner still hung from the ceiling. “The Woven Wombats!” Snake, Fox, and Falcon stared at it in amazement. “It is like we are time travelers,” Fox whispered. Jackalope then called out to the others. “Over here!”

"Woah. That is the scariest thing I have ever seen in my life, and hopefully the last. What the hell?" Bug said as Jackalope began to continue to dust off the canvas.

Falcon came up right after bug and stopped Fox from looking. "Turn around. I mean it. I do not want you to see this." Falcon said sternly.

"What was going through her head?" Jackalope said.

"Dust off the bottom part. What does that say?" Snake asked Jackalope.

The children backed away from the bizarre painting and cringed as they headed toward Fox as he was observing a desk.

"I think I found something. Can you bring your light over?" Fox said as he approached a table.

Fox handed over the letter to Snake. There was an emblem of a brain within a flower.

"What is that symbol?" Falcon asked.

"It is a mental health office. Bloomdale." Snake nervously responded.

"How do you know?" Bug asked.

"Shut it Bug I swear I will cut your tongue out if you get on my nerves." Snake said angrily as Bug's question hit a nerve.

Snake began to read from the letter titled "Morgyn le'Ru"

"As to my assessment of Miss le'Ru, she suffers from hysteria." Snake read as she was cut off from Bug.

"Sounds like she likes Def Leppard too! Rock On!" Bug said with excitement as he looked into the camera and gave a rock and roll sign with his hands.

Snake laughed and shrugged. "I guess this makes good television. I will let that one slide."

"The painting titled the Nightmares Gaze" is about the patient trying to understand what is keeping her from being happy. She stated that in her dreams there was a moon that covered half the sky and then began to bleed. She then floated from above her bed and black ichor began to spew from the moon upon her like oil covering her from head to toe. Then the voices of the ancient witch Morgyn le Fay began to enchant her. My personal diagnosis is that the pressure of tasting the Banana slug and the background of abuse caused her to lash out and create a story for her to get attention and sympathy. Later she had carved the fat from her legs to create a candle of protection that would help those who slept a chance to kill the Witch. " The rest is eligible.

"Crazy!" Bug said.

"You can't use that word anymore! You have to say mentally deranged." Jackalope said shaking her head into the camera.

Bug turned the camera toward him shaking his head up and down. "Mental!"

"So what happened to everyone? Why is this letter still here? Where is the Doctor, the camp counselor, or the other children?" Falcon asked.

"What I heard is that the boyfriend of the counselor that went missing tried to burn this cabin down but the fire was deflected by the curse upon the counselor. He then had images of a warning. That the candle must be lit and as long as the candle burned those who entered would be protected." Jackalope said.

"Something wrong must have happened if Morgyn herself did not light the candle." Snake replied.

"Or something or someone snuffed out the candle to have the Witch take them," Falcon said.

"What about the families?" Fox questioned nervously.

"Money, threats? Not sure but if the government's boogiemen show up then things kinda just end." Jackalope said.

"Before taking his life Hector mentioned he had a dream about Morgyn warning them of the candle she made from her flesh. That they must light the candle and enter the dream realm to free her from the curse of the Witch by destroying the statue or making a sacrifice. Only then she will be set free and Morgyn le Fay put to rest for good." Snake continued looking into the camera.

"How much battery life do you still have on your camera?" Falcon asks squinting at Bug as the light shines on his face.

"Forty-six percent." Bug replies.

"Sorry Snake I got really into playing Snake while we were waiting to sneak out. You know the game that eats balls and gets longer, not playing with that Snake I mean." Bug mumbles pointing at Snake and shrugging at Falcon.

"We have to find the candle and light it. We must all fall asleep together to work together to destroy the statue." Snake told everyone.

"How will people watching know if it even works? We will be sleeping." Fox asked.

Snake got red in the face as she did not think that far ahead. "It will do something amazing and people will just know alright! Now has anyone seen the candle?" Snake shouted.

All of a sudden the room illuminated an orange glow as the candle of Morgyn le'Ru appeared before them and burst into a purple flame illuminating the room with an eerie glow. Six other candles spontaneously ignited around them as cries of those taken by the witch howled.

"I am out of here!" Jackalope said as she headed outside the door. As she exited the cabin the others soon followed behind her screaming.

"There is no way I am staying let alone sleeping in there!" Jackalope cried wiping a tear from her eye. Upon the children leaving the cabin everything went pitch black.

"Ah who is touching me!" Snake screamed startled.

"It's just me." Falcon said holding her arm and reaching down to her hand.

"Brother, what is happening?" Fox said scared.

Upon a gut-curdling howl of dozens of wolves around them. "Rawroooooo!" A large moon appeared from the darkness and upon it a figure of the Witch Morgyne le Fay!

The Witch was dressed in a long dark cloak and held what appeared to be an umbrella that protected her from the falling ichor from the sky that slowly latched upon her cloak. Bubbling and oozing its way upon her body.

"I don't want to play anymore. I want to go! Wake up! Wake me up!" Snake shouted hysterically. Bug dropped the phone on the ground as he saw Snake get scared.

The smile of the Witch was red as blood which glistened off the dark reflection of her cloak. In the most chilling voice, the Witch spoke.

"May I have your tongue children? I have seemed to misplace mine!" The Witch spoke without opening her mouth as her red lips stayed smiling.

"Hadouken!" Bug shouted as he placed both his hands at the Witch.

"What are you doing?" Jackalope asked as she trembled.

"I thought we were dreaming and thought I could help us with my dream powers! I turn into Ryu!" Bug said.

"I won't let her harm you Snake! Time for me to end this!" Bug shouted as he ran toward the Witch with no fear.

As Bug always had a crush on Snake he wanted to prove himself as fearless. He chose the wrong moment to try and prove this to her for this was no dream but a waking nightmare.

Everything around them began to blur and shake. The Witch disappeared as in her place was the cabin. The walls began to be torn down like cardboard as the living black Ichor made its way inside the cabin. The ichor moved inside leaving trails of webbing behind it. The candle of Morgyn was low and faded as it was knocked away. The Ichor stretched out and spit its black ooze onto Bug capturing him within a cocoon.

"Bug!" Snake cried out reaching out to him. As the Ichor moved and stretched its way from one side of the cabin to another. The Witch's tongue was then seen crawling away from the Ichor.

It was as if time had frozen but all of Snake's therapy began to make sense., and began to understand what Morgyn le'Ru was warning us about. Snake went into a trance and has seen from a bird's eye view what had occurred so long ago.

That ages ago the Witch Morgyn le Fay had her tongue cut out by King Arthur severing her power. Merlin the Wizard then enchanted the tongue to roam the world as a piece of Morgyn had to remain as her body was then sent to limbo. This tethered her from being resurrected as she had to be whole in spirit. Though Arthur and Merlin never knew that she had children that could one day inherit her power.

Upon coming out of her trance Snake ran toward the Ichor with the large stone that Bug once held. She hopped over the cocoon and as the Ichor took a bite of the Witches Tongue she struck it with the stone. The Witches Tongue fell to the floor as the Ichor bled and recoiled back away.

"What are you doing?!" Falcon shouted.

"There is no statue to break. There must be a sacrifice." Snake said as she picked up the Witches Tongue and licked it from the bottom up.

A shriek was heard all around them as the ground began to shake. "Not of my kin! Not of my blood! Not of my power!"

Snake fainted back as the illusionary world faded. Bug gasped for air as the ichor faded. Jackalope, Fox, and Falcon ran toward Bug. Bug waved that he was alright and pointed at Snake.

Snake was not breathing and had slime covering her mouth. Falcons quickly scooped the slime from her mouth and performed C.P.R.

Within Falcon's first breath Snake gasped for air. Snake looked into Falcon's eye and smiled. After calming down the children made their way back to their cabin where the counselor awaited shaking their heads in disappointment. The children began to cry and ramble about the Witch’s cabin.

The counselor sat down with the children and played the video that was recorded. The counselor cringed as he heard the children speaking of the haunted cabin. Upon walking outside their description did not match what was on the video. There was no Witch and no slimy creature. Only a purple candle.

Bug's hair stood on end as he listened to the part of him charging after to save the group and being consumed by the Ichor. The camera was still on the flame but within moments of Snake charging the candle was extinguished.

Hovered over the camera Falcon looked at the others with fear in his eyes. "If the candle was extinguished then Snake did not break the curse."

Complete silence........then a haunting song plays.

"Lick my tongue upon the purple flame. If not done ye all will go insane! To prevent my rise do not be of my blood. If you succeed then you have now won. The curse is gone, at least for now I see, but lick my tongue so I shall rest in peace."

As Morgyn le Fay tongue was cut from her mouth and a spell cast by Merlin they would not know that in time her tongue would multiply. That the only way to prevent that of her bloodline to inhabit all of her power is for others to lick the Banana slug and take away the connection to that of Morgyn le'Ru and others like her.

You may not need the purple flame unless cursed by a member of the Witch's family tree. So next time you go hiking and believe there might a member of the le Fay bloodline amongst you lick the Slug to prevent them from cursing the land.