Of Cabins and Witches

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night a candle burned in the window, its warm glow almost inviting in the brisk autumn evening.

Rather than feeling welcome, Alice shivered so hard her teeth chattered. She knew the legends surrounding the cabin. It was common knowledge, growing up in Middleville.  

According to urban legend, a witch family had fled there to escape persecution during the Salem Witch Hunt. They lived in safety for fifty years… until the town grew nearby. Once it was discovered who—what—they were, a mob had surrounded the cabin and forced them out. 

There was a sham of a trial, after which the village hung them for their crimes, one at a time, from the giant hanging tree on the edge of the grounds. The last to die was the youngest, Mabel, only fifteen. With her dying breath, she cursed the village, the woods… just about everything she could think of.  

Almost immediately, the trees in the surrounding woods turned black and mottled. They still grew and produced fruit, but it looked wrong. Anyone who ate the fruit was instantly sick. One person had tried to heal the trees. She had tried pruning, and even treatments to kill the fungus. The trees, however, grew darker, and their disease spread to her. She was dead within the month.

More than that, if anyone uttered Mabel’s name, something horrible happened. One woman had a stroke. A young child was instantly run over by a car. One man’s dog died horribly, unnaturally, with all of its organs turning to mush at the same time. And if you went too close to the cabin… her cabin… those people never returned.  

As Alice passed through the mottled woods, everything inside screamed at her to turn back. Her breath caught in her chest when she saw the candle, and she stumbled a step. But a dare was a dare and turning back was no longer an option. 

###

Earlier that day, Alice walked through the schoolyard, her arms hugging her chemistry book close to her chest as her dark hair fell in messy tendrils around her face. She kept her eyes to the ground, purposefully avoiding eye contact with her classmates. She was almost through a whole day of not being noticed, and if she could just make it a little further… 

Something fell against her feet, and Alice tumbled hard to the sidewalk. She landed on her hands and knees with an oomph. Her slightly open backpack fell forward, spilling what was left of her books into the back of her head.

Laughter rippled through the crowd, but it was muted by the ringing in her ears, the rush of blood that made her face radiate heat. Slowly, she rocked back onto her feet, brushing the bits of gravel out of the abrasions on her palms and knees. One small, dark bead of blood trickled down the side of her leg, staining the top of her sneakers.

Alice didn’t need to look up to know what had happened. She recognized the fancy boots standing next to her, the brown leather carefully fashioned to be dainty, the heel too high to be comfortable. It was Maddy.

Alice carefully sucked in a breath, and then looked up into her perfect Insta-worthy face.

“Watch where you’re going,” Maddy said. Her voice was harsh, but the amused, almost hungry, gleam in her eyes told Alice that it was no accident.

The crowd laughed again. They circled in, like vultures waiting for the kill, closing ranks and making it difficult for Alice to retrieve her scattered books or her dignity.

Alice scanned the mocking faces surrounding her and noticed her sister, Theresa, in the crowd. Theresa’s face was grim rather than amused, but it didn’t matter. She was too cool to even acknowledge that Alice was her sister. She shook her head slightly, and then pulled back, disappearing into the crowd.

Maddy spoke again, her sneer turning predatory. “Well, aren’t you going to apologize?”

“S-Sorr-y,” Alice muttered, her words barely audible above the snickers in the crowd. 

Maddy took a step to the side, grinding the pointed heel of her boot into Alice’s cell phone. “Whoops.” She flashed her brilliant white teeth into a wide smile. “Not that you need it, eh? No one wants to talk to you.”

Tears started leaking down the side of her face. Alice wiped them away with the sleeve of her sweater as she moved to pick up her things. 

 A figure broke out from the circle. Alice looked up and her face turned a brilliant shade of red. Peter gathered a small stack of her belongs, lingering an extra moment on her notebook that had fallen open onto the sidewalk. His face was kind as he held her things out to her, but all Alice could think of was the small word, his name, that she had absently traced in math class. If he had seen that… she couldn’t think, barely breathed.

He raised an eyebrow in question. Had he asked her a question? 

Alice shuddered, the motion clearing out the remnants of laughter and ringing from her ears.

“Are you okay?” Peter asked again.

She nodded once and muttered an unintelligible “Thanks.”

Maddy grabbed Peter’s arm, possessively leading him away. She leaned up and muttered something in his ear, and then they both erupted into a fit of laughter.

Alice almost laid down in front of the yellow school bus instead of climbing in it. It would hurt like hell, but at least it would be over quickly. Anything was better than this slow death of her soul that came from every taunt, spilled drink, or trip that she endured daily. Peter was the last straw. If he suspected how she felt… it would just be further ammunition to Maddy. The bullying was relentless, but she could handle it better than that cold feeling as she watched Maddy and Peter whispering as they walked to her car.

When they got home, Theresa paused a minute before going upstairs. “You make it worse by reacting.”

Alice instantly teared up, her voice reaching a pitch two decibels higher than normal. “How? What did I do? I was just walking.”

Theresa chewed on her bottom lip. “Hmmm… Maybe.” After a long pause, she said, “I’m gonna regret this.”

She grabbed Alice’s arm and dragged her up to her room. “There’s a party tonight. I think if we show them you can be normal…”

###

An hour later, Alice didn’t recognize herself in the mirror. Her face was flawless. Her freckles smoothed away. Her face contoured and sharpened. Her eyes highlighted with the right touch of mascara and black liner. Her hair, normally up in a messy ponytail, now fell in perfect loose curls down her back. Her borrowed black shirt was low cut, just enough to show cleavage, as it hung loosely around her, shrouding her in a black river of silk and lace.

Theresa looked her over. “Maybe we should pad—”

Her phone buzzed, and she stopped to answer it.

Alice looked down, panic warming her. Her chest was flatter than her sister’s. If they padded it… She wasn’t sure how she felt about looking that different. She fidgeted, clenching her hands so as not to mess anything up. It didn’t feel real. It was so different from her normal t-shirt and jeans look.

“No time,” Theresa sighed. “Our ride’s here. It will have to do.” She grabbed her bag and her sisters arm. As they walked to the stairs, Theresa hissed in Alice’s ear, “Whatever you do, just go along. If they hand you a drink, drink it. If they ask you a question, don’t be witty or clever. Evade if you need to, but don’t say anything stupid. Just… try to act like me.”

Alice attempted to follow her sister’s advice. As soon as they arrived at the party, someone handed her a red solo cup. The liquid burned her throat, but she drank it. She swayed along with the music, imitating her sister’s dance moves, even when the world started spinning. 

As the evening wore on, the party-goers who were left, gathered around the couches. It was then that Maddy suggested the game of Truth or Dare.

As they went around the circle, the truths were aimed at figuring out people’s deepest, darkest secrets. The questions ranged from current crush to most embarrassing moment. The dares were all geared to making out or twerking. One boy had to chug an unknown liquid from one cup on the table, but he was the exception.

As it got closer to her turn, Alice panicked. Her chest tightened and heart rate sped up. If she chose truth, they would likely use whatever information to torment her further. She tried not to look at Peter as she thought about having to admit her current crush. She couldn’t do it. She’d rather make out with a stranger than look into his hazel eyes and tell him the truth. So before Maddy could even finish the question, Alice said, “Dare.”

Maddy smiled widely. “I dare you... to visit Mabel’s cabin.”

The lights flickered with the witch’s name, causing the teens to gasp in surprise. Everyone gaped at Maddy, expecting her to fall over dead at the mere mention of the tabooed name.

When nothing immediately happened, the room collectively let out a breath. 

All eyes turned to Alice. 

She didn’t speak, mentally weighing her options. If she did anything other than follow through with the dare… she might as well call in sick for the rest of her life. Maddy wasn’t hurt by calling upon the witch, so maybe she would be fine. But if even one story was true…

Maddy laughed. “Too chicken? I should’ve expected it.”

Theresa looked almost as panicked as Alice felt, but it was Peter who said, “You don’t have to do it. It’s not a fair—”

“Yes, she does,” Maddy interjected, shooting a warning glance at Peter. “If she ever wants to survive high school, she will walk right up to that cabin. Sixty seconds should be enough. You can stand in an empty room that long without shitting your pants, right?”

Alice remained silent.

“You know, I hear that she’s still out there…” Maddy tucked a hair behind her ear. “When she cursed her enemies, she fractured off a piece of her soul. That’s why the trees remain black. Using dark magic, she resurrected others. Together, they steal the life force of the trees to keep the magic alive, just as they steal the youth from anyone… anything… that gets too close.”

She was trapped. Completely, hopelessly trapped. 

If she went to the cabin, she would have her energy sucked away by a witch. But if she refused… Maddy daily wore her down with torments. If it got worse… She was out of options.

After another moment of silence, Alice whispered, “I’ll go.”

A hint of respect and surprise flashed across Maddy’s face, but she quickly replaced it with a sneer. She stood up, and the rest of the group followed, moths drawn to the flame, unable to look away from the tragedy that was about to unfold. “After you,” she said with a dramatic arm flourish.

###

They followed her to the edge of the black woods. 

When they stopped, Alice turned to face them, hopeful they had changed their minds.

Instead, Maddy grabbed the closest cell phone from her friend, Jennifer. She tapped the screen a few times and then held out the phone. A video chat was streaming. “We’ll watch from here,” she said, handing the cellphone to Alice.

As she closed her fingers around the phone, her heart sank. There was no escape. No turning back. If she did, they would see.

“Sixty seconds,” Maddy said. She held out her cell phone with the other end of the video streaming. “We’ll know if you don’t.”

It took all her strength to keep walking. One foot after the other.

Occasionally, her witnesses would giggle through the phone, but the closer she got, the line went dead silent. 

Dark. So dark around her, the trees blocked out all light. They grew closer together, scratching at her with long black nails. Clouds covered the sliver of moon. As she got deeper into the black trees, the only illumination was from the cell phone screen. She gripped it tighter as she walked. She held the phone forward, aimed at the ground. With each step over the dead leaves, she strained her eyes more. The only sound was the crunch of the brittle broken branches and dried leaves.

A sickening crunch that did not sound like leaves made her look down. The cell light illuminated a small mass. She had to get close to see what it was. When she was inches away, she realized it was a bloodied rabbit pelt, its tiny ribs sticking through the fur. It was tied down with little stakes through its limbs., a symbol drawn on the ground beneath it. 

A strangled scream struggled to get out of her throat as she stumbled a few steps back. She collided with something hard and sticky. A tree covered in sap. 

She swung around to look. There was something strange about this tree. It was the only tree that was not black. It had a different, dark color. Even in the pale light, she could tell that it was the color of blood. As she looked up, just above her head, wrapped around the top limb, the remnants of a rope.  

The Hanging Tree. And its bloody sap was all over her arms.

She rubbed at the sticky liquid, smearing the red streaks across her pale arms. Tears flew freely down her face. She had to turn back. 

But the phone, silent until then, squeaked, “Is she crying? You wasted a good dare on this one.” 

She wasn’t sure, but it sounded like Peter. Alice took a deep breath to steady her nerves. They probably scouted ahead to set this up. They were just trying to scare her so they could have a laugh. 

She wasn’t wholly convinced, but it was enough to keep her feet moving forward. 

As she got closer, the smell of the forest turned rotten, like curdled milk or old meat. It filled the air, making Alice gag with every breath. 

Then the trees parted, and she saw it. The cabin, a dirty gray, almost gleamed in the low light. Flickering in the window, the candle taunted her. 

For a moment, she wondered if Maddy spoke the truth. Maybe the witch was alive still. If her soul truly haunted the area, it could explain all the strange phenomenon. 

She couldn’t let herself believe it. She was so close. In one minute, she could run back to safety. That was all she had to endure. One minute.

She edged closer to the house, looking in all directions. Listening for a sound that would let her know if the witch was real. 

The remnant of moon escaped the clouds, casting long shadows across the yard. They looked like jagged teeth, yawning to swallow her whole. 

“Sixty seconds,” a voice said flatly from the phone.

Alice started and almost threw the phone. “I know,” she hissed back.

She walked to the edge of the cabin first. She peered into the gloom that was in the darkness next to the cabin. There was no movement. Not a hint of anything. 

She gave a wide berth of the front of the cabin, walking around the tree line to the other edge.

Still nothing. Not even a breeze to tickle the leaves into movement. 

Everything was unnaturally calm.

Finally, she approached the window. Crouched underneath it. Ever so slowly, she stretched up to look inside.

The sill was made of some whitish-brown brittle material. It wasn’t wood. Something different. Long claw marks raked along the length of it, but otherwise it was smooth and cold to the touch.

The light from the candle, though bright, did not penetrate the dark curtain that was just beyond. Alice tried to look around the edges, but everything was inky blackness.

She reached out a single finger to move the curtain. It had a strange texture, like scratchy wool. 

One inch. 

Two. 

Even with the curtain moving aside, the only thing she could see was the dark wood of the floor. A few pieces of dust swirled in the eddy of movement, but otherwise, all was calm.

Alice pulled back. She had two options. The window or the door.

The window would require climbing, crouching. Trying not to make a sound as she slid in. She knew the door was her only option if she needed to get away quick. 

She approached the door last. She waited a minute. Her hand on the knob. She listened and still there was no sound. She muttered a silent prayer and then twisted the knob.

###

The breeze from the door opening blew out the candle, leaving her once more relying on the borrowed cell phone to see. Alice held it up and glanced around the room, taking a few steps inside to see better.

It looked abandoned. Giant cobwebs hung from the ceiling, causing curtains of white that gleamed in the cell light. There were a couple of broken chairs, a table, a three-legged stool, an empty fireplace. 

She could hear someone counting down the seconds through the phone.

Fifty. Forty-nine. Forty-eight.

Something moved in her periphery vision.

She turned, but nothing was there. She took a step backwards to the door.

Forty seconds.

One more step. Something crunched underfoot. She looked down and saw small pieces of trash. Broken shoelaces, a piece from eyeglasses. Something that looked suspiciously like a finger bone.

Thirty seconds.

Halfway there. She could make it. Another thirty seconds and she was free.

Another movement in the corner of her eyes.

Then the door slammed shut behind her. She dropped the phone as she turned. It skittered across the floor, but the countdown still went down, more muted this time. Alice tugged on the door handle, but it wouldn’t open.

Twenty seconds.

She dove under the kitchen table as a roaring fire suddenly blazed from the fireplace.

Ten seconds. Nine. Eight.

She didn’t dare move as she heard footsteps, slowly, deliberately walking towards her, Each step timed perfectly with the countdown. 

Three. Two. One.

There were a few impressed cheers on the phone. But all Alice could do was stare at the familiar heeled boots that now stood before her. The brown leather, shaped elegantly around the pointed toe. 

It was Maddy.

###

At first, Alice felt relief. It was a prank, all set up by the school bully. Everything would be fine. But goosebumps raised on her arms, her body recognizing the danger even when her mind couldn’t comprehend it.

“Alice,” Maddy said in a sing-song voice. “We chose you specifically for this. You should feel honored.” 

Alice didn’t answer. 

“Do you like what we’ve done to the place?”

Alice looked, truly looked, around the room. With the fire in the grate, she could see small horrifying details. The rug in front of her was made from human hair. Blonde, brunette, black, and red hairs woven together in a chaotic pattern. The strange substance that was comprising the windowsill, the furniture, even parts of the wall… human bone. She even saw those shoes for the first time… the boots she thought were leather… they had freckles, like human skin.

Maddy threw the table off, and Alice scrambled back behind the closest chair, careful not to touch it, now that she saw it for what it was.

“Say my name,” Maddy said.

“Please—“

“Say it,” she said, her voice utterly calm.

“Madd—“

“Wrong!” Maddy laughed. She sniffed the air. “The smell of fear. That is my favorite part. They butchered us. Butchered! But I got my revenge.”

“That chair… his name was Jedediah.” She pointed around the room, “Susannah, Abraham, Daniel…” She purred the next name, “Cassidy.”

“Every few years, we have to lure someone out here. It’s how we endure. How we stay young.” 

Alice looked at the cell phone.

Maddy seemed to notice and said, “It was too easy, making an excuse to get away.”

She continued to walk closer, cornering Alice against the fireplace.

“Say my name!” she screamed.

Alice couldn’t say it aloud, but she thought it, “Mabel.” 

She was shaking now. Everything instinct told her to run, but there was nowhere to go. The only place left was the fireplace, and the heat against her back was enough to rule out that retreat. She glanced around, trying to ignore all the signs she had missed the first time. 

She saw the fire poker, laying against the hearth. Inched towards it. Stretching her arm in a motion, she hoped the witch wouldn’t notice.

“That’s right. You know now,” Mabel said. “I think you will be my favorite. It is such a sweet taste, your fear.”

She lurched a step forward, laughing when Alice flinched.

“Time to die,” Mabel whispered.

Then, the face that had been Maddy melted away. The creature beneath no longer resembled a human. Withered and black, it looked like a cross between a bat and a snake. Her body elongated, talons and wings ripped out from where her arms once were.

Alice screamed. Her hand curled around the edge of the poker. It burned bright orange from where it sat against the fire.

Before she could lose her nerve, she swung the fiery poker up right as Mabel reached for her. It went straight into Mabel’s eye.

“Run,” her sister, Theresa’s, voice screamed through the phone. 

The sound was so far away. So out of place with the roaring of Mabel as she clutched at her bloody eye.

Alice took a deep breath. It was now or never. 

She bolted for the door.

Everything seemed to slow down. She saw the chair fly as she shoved it out of the way. She saw Mabel reaching for her. The light flickered, causing a strobe sensation where everything seemed to move in small jerky movements.

Flash. Scream. Thud. 

A stool went flying. The human hair rug slipped under foot as she ran. 

Flicker. Scream.

Mabel laughed, so deep and animal that it was half growl. “You’ll pay for that.”

Alice reached the door and tugged, but it was still sealed shut. With a frustrated oomph, she dodged back around, barely avoiding Mabel’s blackened hands.

Mabel kept going, her momentum landing her against the door with a hard thud. It slowed her down. For a moment. 

Alice ran back towards the window. The candle, now extinguished, sat solitary on the sill. A sentinel showing her the way out. 

She dove for it, ripping the curtain out of the way and grabbing the bone edges of the window. She clawed and shoved her way. Her arms first, then her head.

She was halfway through. She was going to make it.

Ice-cold fingers grabbed her calves, pulling her back into the cabin. Alice grabbed the window and held on, but she knew it was useless. Too strong. Her enemy was too strong.

Mabel cackled, the sound further away that it should have been. “I told you there were others.”

If her voice was far away, then who…

She didn’t want to look. The fingers moved up her body, holding on to her hips. Then her shoulders. With a quick tug, she felt the bone windowsill break under her fingers as she was hurtled back into that hellish room.

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry,” a voice whispered in her ear. 

Her stomach churned and bile roast in her throat. 

A familiar voice. One she dreamed about. One belonging to a boy she had a crush on.

She couldn’t breathe. Her chest tightened and every heart beat was agony. Her world constricted into one feeling. His blackened fingers that now grasped her forearms. 

She turned to face Peter. His fingers stretched into talons that dug into her flesh.

She couldn’t even cry out. Paralyzed. Some dark venom dripped into her veins, freezing her body while her soul screamed in silent agony.

His face melted away, revealing the dark beast within, the twin to Mabel. The last thing Alice saw was his mouth opening wide. Unhinging. Rows upon rows of teeth. 

Then, utter darkness.