Whisper

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. The flicker of the light against the old, cracked wood scattered through the forest.

For many within the town near the wood, the cabin had faded into the back of their mind. The bizarre placement and the useless nature seemed to make many people forget its existence. But, what the townsfolk would never admit out loud as it was neither the placement nor non-use that kept them away from the cabin; rather, it was the feeling of evil that imbedded the very bones of the structure.

Nothing was menacing about the cabin. From a distance, it looked quite beautiful. At one point, it had been. But, as the people within the town knew, the cabin’s history had been littered with destruction and torment that kept it abandoned for the decades they had avoided it.

Yet, the image of the burning candle reflected in Saduj's eyes.

Saduj was unlike many of the townsfolk. Rather than avoid the evil energy that forced the others to ignore the cabin; Saduj flirted with the energy, each night following the cabin’s whisper deeper into the forest.

To Saduj, the cabin’s calling was not one of evil, but one of promise. He believed that he saw the cabin differently than others because he had evolved beyond their level of thinking. He could envision the cabin as it presented itself to him…beautiful.

It was on the night that the candle burned in the window when Saduj crossed the threshold of the cabin door. For many nights, he’d wished to enter. Yet, the door remained locked until the candle burned.

His boots echoed across the wooden floor as it bent with each of his steps. His feet led him to the candle. His hand flittered above the flame; his eyes focused on its movement.

“You.”

Behind him, stood a man. He wore jeans and a flannel, but his face was delicate. The man was beautiful but dressed down…making him seem more rugged than he was.

“You… answered my call. No one else heard it, but I knew you would.”

“Me?” replied Saduj.

“Yes, you are the one. I felt your soul’s angst, and I knew it was you that I was brought to sustain.”

“Who are you?”

“A friend. Whatever you desire, it is yours. It is you, and you alone, I have come for.”

The man placed his hands on Saduj’s head and at once the cabin was surrounded by fog. When the fog had cleared the cabin, Saduj realized his feet were no longer on the wooden floor, but on marble. As he looked around, Saduj found himself in the house of his dreams. Golden tapestries adorned the walls. He searched his new home finding luxury couches and fireplaces. Each of the many closets lined with modern fashion.

But, on the window sill, the candle still burned. It had become smaller and running wax decorated its sides.

“Do you have what you desire?” said the man from behind.

Saduj replied, “Why do you give me these fine things?”

“I seek to give your mind respite.”

“Why me?”

“Why not you? Do you wish to leave?”

“No.”

“Are you satisfied?”

“No.”

And once again, the man placed his hands on Saduj’s forehead.

From the front door of the cabin, a radiant woman strutted across the marble. Her hands danced across Saduj, and for many moments the two were pleased.

Saduj left the woman and once again returned to the candle. It was lopsided, weighed down with the dripping wax.

“Are you satisfied?” asked the man he returned.

But, Saduj felt a yearning for more.

“No.”

“What more could I offer you?”

“Power.”

“I have just the thing.”

Fog filled the room, yet when Saduj could see the room again. He sat from a different perspective. He felt smaller, or perhaps the room was bigger. He could not move his arms or his legs. It appeared he no longer had any. He opened his mouth to scream, but his mouth was plastered shut. And from the corner of the room, the man from behind appeared.

“You wanted power? You have the power to bring souls to me.”

Saduj watched as the woman melted like wax into the floor. His tapestries and fine clothes followed her. He watched motionless as the cabin melted back into its original form.

The man from behind walked to Saduj.

“Whisper,” he said.

Saduj felt his entire body burn like fire.

And once again, the candle burned in the window.