Candle In The Window

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. According to age old traditions, this was often used as a sign to "welcome" visitors. You see, many years ago, when houses were built a long distance from one another, a candle was lit in the window to let weary travelers know it was a safe place to seek refuge ... or was it?

Jenn and Anna were long-time friends. Growing up together since the age of four, they were almost inseparable. It was an unusually warm sunny morning in Western New York as the two excited college freshmen loaded Jenn's shiny, red Honda with their belongings. It had been a long, cold winter so this well-deserved road trip was meant to get them out of hibernation and fulfill their sense of adventure. It was finally Spring Break and they were beyond excited for some good old fashioned fun in the sun. Destination? Anywhere in Florida!! Without a care in the world and two weeks to spare, Jenn drew back the sunroof as they set off down Interstate 90 toward I-79. Laughing and singing to the blaring tunes, they never missed a beat. Though only hours into the trip, they DID miss their turn.

The afternoon hours pressed on and their warm sunny day turned to dusk before the girls noticed their fateful mistake. They were supposed to be headed southeast but somehow ended up traveling southwest. After 15 hours of driving, they expected to see palm trees and white sand beaches on the horizon, but instead they found themselves traveling through the eerie, winding roads of the Georgia foothills. They cautiously navigated the densely dotted, tree-lined road. With its sharp curves around unprotected edges, one small swerve would lead them over a rocky embankment to a watery grave below. As the road became narrower, the sun slowly vanished and their path was soon engulfed in darkness. Their once happy and spirited mood turned to nervousness and silence. As Jenn gripped the steering wheel tighter and tighter, she crouched closer to the dash in an effort to see. Turning around was not an option at this point, since any attempt may force them over the edge. They continued around the steep and twisting curves in hopes of getting back to a main road …any main road! As they glided along, however, the silence was broken when a bright red light lit up the dashboard and the binging of an alarm alerted them to the critically low level of their gas tank. Anna yelled at Jenn, "Out of gas? How could you let us run out of gas?" As tears welled up in her eyes. But Jenn, always the optimist, reassured her that they would find a gas station soon and be on their merry way. Jenn, half smiled, as she explained that this slightly scary detour would become a comical and adventurous tale to tell once they returned back home. But as they slowly trekked up one side of the mountain and down the other, she was quietly thinking to herself that they had not seen a gas station in hours.... or a house .... or any signs of life at all. And just then, the engine ceased to run and sluggishly coasted off to the side of the road. There they came to a complete stop as the car sputtered out its few last breaths.

Instinctively, Anna and Jenn grabbed for their phones to call for help. No service! And almost instantly, both of their phones died. As they sat there in the car, in the black of night, the anxiety of the situation began to build. Imagine a time when you were stricken with incredible fear. It could be a nightmare or a horribly scary incident. Remember the sensation of bugs crawling under your skin or the feeling of your heart jumping out of your chest. This is what the girls were feeling at that very moment. Scared and bewildered, they had no clue what to do next.

Full of shear panic, their sense of sound was quickly engulfed by the singing of cicada's, the rhythmic hoot of an owl and an occasional cackle of the coyotes off in the distance. Though filled with terror, they knew that the only way out was to keep moving forward. So together, they searched their belongings for any useful tools that they could find before setting out into the pitch black night. "How could you let this happen?" Anna exclaimed, as she began to sob. Armed with one flashlight and a few granola bars, they began their journey on foot.

Huddled together behind one glowing flashlight, the girls walked for what seemed like eternity; their fate would soon be sealed as they reached a fork in the road. Both sides were dirt covered pathways and barely the width of a single vehicle. To the left, they saw an eerie darkness through patches of shrub and trees; an unnerving silence filled the air. To the right, although nearly as unkempt, they could hear the croaking of frogs calling out to one another; off in the distance, they could see the faint flicker of a light. Jenn waved her flashlight back and forth trying to decide which road to choose. In doing so, they caught a glimpse of a rickety wooden sign posted between the two paths. Anna motioned Jenn to move the light closer as she read out loud:

“Choose wisely, on the path you take ... tis your soul, which is at stake!”

“Well that's creepy!" Jenn whispered, as she flashed the light down each path again. Shivers rushed up and down their spines; surely, the light meant that there was someone on the other end who could help them. So, together they headed toward the light.

The wind whistled around them as they headed down the peculiar path. Within a few steps, they started to hear the crackling of twigs and limbs in the bushes a short distance behind them. Was it a bear? Or maybe something more sinister? They began to walk more hurriedly down the road. As they continued on, so did the crackling. Closer and closer until it sounded like it was right behind them! They both let out a screech, as Jenn whipped the flashlight around. In the path behind them, they saw …. Nothing. Nothing but darkness. They half giggled agreeing that they were letting their fears get the best of them. But even still, they turned around and began running toward the light they had seen in the distance! With the beam of their flashlight bouncing off the trees, they could see the outline of what appeared to be a small cabin. As they slowed down to catch their breath, they could see. They could see it was, in fact, a cabin. And the light they were headed toward, was clearly the flicker of a candle. The dancing flame seemed to beacon them to come closer but Jenn, the optimist, wasn’t feeling very optimistic. Something just didn’t seem right; a nagging feeling in her gut was telling her that something was very wrong. But she quickly dismissed this feeling having recalled her recent studies in History 101; she remembered that while studying colonial times, a lit candle, when placed in a window, was meant to welcome guests. With this reassurance, they cautiously approached the cabin. Jenn nudged Anna to go first. Anna nudged Jenn. As they briefly bantered back and forth, the candle suddenly went out. With a mix of emotions at the thought of someone being behind the door who could offer assistance and end this horrible ordeal, they decided to go together. So the girls gingerly climbed the front step and proceeded to knock on the door.

Tap! Tap! Tap! “Is anyone home?” They called out in unison.

Slowly, the door creaked open. As they stood in the doorway and peeked inside, they could see a wide open room with an old broken down fireplace against the side wall. A heavy mist filled the walls of this one-room, rickety old structure. Other than mountainous cobwebs and age-old layers of dust, it was empty. It clearly had not been lived in for many years. Jenn shined the flashlight around the open room as they slowly made their way in. Anna felt along the wall by the door for any sign of electrical switches. There were none. So who had lit the candle? And who or what had blown it out? They dismissed these thoughts as they agreed they could lock the door behind them and find safety for at least the night. When the sun came up in the morning, they would continue on and find their way back to civilization.

The girls locked the door and peered around the darkness through the glow of their dimming flashlight. Their backs up against the wall, they were much too scared to move. Outside they could hear the howls of the coyotes who had come seemingly closer, the hooting of the owl, croaking of the frogs, and sounds of the cicadas. All together, they were singing an almost ghostly tune. The trees began to rustle and the bushes began to crackle. Jenn and Anna huddled closely as they both began to cry. That was, until a glimmer of light caught their eyes from the far corner of the cabin. They hesitantly peeled their terrified backs from the wall and slowly crept closer to the flash of light. They soon realized it was their own flashlight reflecting off a single mirror hanging on the wall. As they moved closer, they could see that a message had been scribbled across the mirror in a bright red, dripping liquid. The message read:

WHO’S BEHIND YOU?

As the girls began to fearfully turn, the flashlight went out.

And moments later … the candle began to glow!

Jenn and Anna were never seen or heard from again. You see … there is more than one meaning given to burning a candle in the window. Past traditions have also used this as a ritual to signify death. So if you are ever lost on a dark, lonely road and you see a candle burning in the night …

… Choose your path wisely… and beware of who’s behind you!

The End