Creatures of the Night

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. A single flame stood sentinel to the gathering clouds that partially concealed the sliver of moon. The wind whispered through the tops of the pine trees giving the impression of spectral voices discussing the flickering glow. Animals stopped to stare and wonder at the new manifestation, and instinctively turned away from their habitual game trails to give the cabin a wide berth. It was as if they sensed the evil that lurked within.

RG threw another log on the campfire and took note of the darkening shadows. He puzzled at the seemingly stillness of the woods. For those familiar with forest living, the mountains were never quiet . . . even at night. Birds chirped, insects buzzed, and coyotes called. Sometimes the dying screams of animals were heard as predators located their prey. Those who were one with the land took solace in these sounds and were reassured that everything in nature was as it should be. However, on this night, the forest animals were quiet. Nothing stirred, which caused the hairs on RG’s arms to raise. It was eerie, and the silence was out of place. What did the animals know that he did not?

RG warily squinted through the darkness around his own lot, taking stock of each familiar landmark on his property. Nothing seemed overly strange to him. Why, then, did he sense impending danger? He wished the pistol that he always had loaded by the bed was in his hand. Glancing over his shoulder through the towering trees, he noticed a light about a quarter mile away shining in a lonely window of the deserted cabin of his neighbor. Fritz had not lived there in years, yet the light was clearly visible in the now inky blackness. RG jumped when a log popped in the fire and hissed like an evil demon as it released steam into the night air. He moved closer to its protective warmth, placed several more logs on the blaze in an effort to thwart the darkness, and pulled up a chair. He pondered the mysterious glow.

RG had fond memories of Fritz and his two pugs, Sophie and Earl. While they had not been best of friends, they had been amicable neighbors and had enjoyed chatting with each other when the occasion arose. On the other hand, Sophie and Earl had been regular visitors at RG’s A-frame. He looked up as Conrad slowly stood up on the front porch, stretched, and lazily ambled over to the cheerful blaze. The old dog turned around a few times and plopped down on the dirt next to him to bask in the radiant heat. RG chuckled and wondered what would possibly possess a man to desert the animals he so clearly loved. For that matter, what would possess a man to just up and disappear, leaving everything he had owned and had worked for behind? It was as if Fritz had simply vanished from the face of the Earth. And yet, was he now back after all these years? The wavering flame in his window seemed to suggest just that.

As RG gently scratched Con’s ear, he reflected on his past friendship with Fritz. He recalled the easy-going nature of the man who had lived just a few hundred yards through the trees, and chuckled to himself as he recalled some of the lame jokes they had shared with one another. He remembered how Fritz had shared little bits and pieces of his life spent with his wife who had passed away at an early age, of what RG couldn’t recollect. After her death, Fritz had moved to the mountains to figure out how to live life without her. That was the beginning of a friendship that had lasted until Fritz’s sudden disappearance. Where was he? Was he happy? RG hoped so.

Once again, RG glanced over his shoulder in the direction of his old friend’s cabin, almost expecting to see Fritz’s shadow flit past the window. Instead, he noted the candle’s flame struggling to burn on the window ledge, as if all oxygen was being sucked from the very room in which it burned. Puzzled, he turned in his chair and continued to study the intermittent glow, mesmerized by the ghostly dancing of the flame. As RG stared at the window, he watched the flame of the candle shorten until it was no longer linear. Instead, it had morphed into a luminous round ball . . . a ball that appeared to be speeding through the air directly toward him through the tall pines.

Without apparent provocation, Conrad stealthily rose and turned toward the advancing orb, teeth barred. The hackles on his back were visibly pronounced, and a low growl rumbled from deep within his chest. RG also rose out of the chair and stood beside his dog, knowing then that whatever was hurtling toward them was intent upon harm. Inadvertently, he grabbed a burning log from the fire to illuminate the darkness to better see the quickly-approaching enemy.

Standing as a unified front and filled with trepidation, RG and Conrad remained side by side next to the fire. They watched the moving globe together, intuitively knowing that a confrontation was imminent. When the sphere reached the perimeter of RG’s property, it appeared to hesitate. Sensing the impending attack, Con crouched, ready to spring. RG thrust the burning torch in the general direction of the glowing ball to better visualize his adversary, which instantly seemed to disappear among the trees.

Thinking that the light had vanished as quickly as it had mysteriously appeared, RG released a massive sigh of relief and let out the breath he unconsciously held. He turned and tossed the burning log back onto the still-roaring fire. It was at that exact moment that Conrad lunged. Instead of leaping toward the tree line, Conrad body-slammed into RG’s stomach, knocking him off balance and to the ground directly beside the fire. Straddling RG across his chest, the normally complacent Conrad turned into an enraged beast.

Landing flat on his back, RG felt the air rush from his lungs. As he struggled to breathe while at the same time shove Conrad from his body, he suddenly noticed the apparition directly above their heads. Hovering only a few feet from them and darting in and out of Conrad’s slashing jaws, the ball of light transformed into the most hideous creature RG had ever seen. It looked as if it was a living corpse with glowing eyes . . . eyes that just moments before had been an orb of light.

Without thinking, RG once again grabbed a chunk of wood from the fire and hurled it at the airborne demon. Taken by surprise, the monster failed to dodge the burning log and was hit squarely in the torso. Instantly, it ignited into flames that illuminated the night sky. Its screeches were deafening and sounded like they were straight from the depths of Hell. As RG and Conrad watched in both awe and horror, the evil wraith dissolved into ash. The ash floated gently to the ground, covering both dog and man in demonic remains.

Conrad was the first to move. He shook the ash from his body and cautiously sniffed the ground before him. Assured that whatever danger had passed, he once again resumed his position next to the warm fire. He snored in happy repose before RG even thought to stumble shakily to his chair.

As his breathing returned to normal and his heartrate slowed, RG began to slowly perceive the awakening sounds of the night-time forest. It was if the animals sensed that all was once again well in the mountains and had resumed their normal activities that hopefully ensured survival for yet one more evening. As he sat in the chair and watched the fire dwindle, RG knew that whatever evil had plagued the forest just minutes before had been destroyed by the flames that had once burned so brightly. Pouring water on the dying embers, he called to Con and headed toward the protective shelter of the cabin. He fervently hoped that he would eventually fall asleep without dreaming of the creature that had earlier sought him as its prey.

RG awoke early the next morning as was his nature. Con was nowhere to be seen, but that was not unusual. If the dog wasn't in his bed, RG normally found him stretched out in the small patch of early-morning sunshine reflected through the glass pane of the front door. RG stretched his legs, rolled over, and sat on the edge of the bed. Resting his elbows on his knees, he cradled his head in his hands. His whole body ached, and his brain was simply unable or unwilling, he wasn't sure which, to process the events from the night before. Maybe he had imagined the whole thing, but he knew deep down that was not the case.

Stumbling out of bed, RG made his way to the kitchen to put coffee on to perk. Perhaps caffeine would help diminish the throbbing in his head. Surprisingly, the entryway was vacant. Con seldom used the dog door, but obviously he had made an exception. Sure enough, when RG looked out the window, he noticed the dog sniffing at the ground adjacent to the campfire. He wondered if perhaps the ash had a peculiar odor. Thankfully, the comforting aroma of perking coffee on the stove distracted him, and RG temporarily forgot about the ash outside. He relaxed somewhat as he popped some bread in the toaster for a light breakfast, after which he would head outdoors to gather deadfall to minimize the ever-present danger of fire.

RG pulled on some Levi’s and his favorite red sweatshirt. He wasn’t exactly keen about leaving the security of the cabin, but he also knew that nothing would be accomplished if he stayed inside. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and stepped out onto the wooden porch. The air smelled fresh, and the pine-scented forest filled his senses. Con still sniffed in the same area as before, and it seemed to RG that he appeared extremely agitated. Pulling the door behind him, RG took a deep breath and headed toward his dog.

As he neared Con, RG immediately saw why the animal was distressed. A man lay flat on his back on the forest floor beside the long-cold fire. He appeared to be watching the cumulus clouds float by in the blue sky, but it was obvious to RG that the person was not breathing. He was unequivocally motionless. The stranger’s clothes were old, faded, and tattered. They were also quite dirty. It was as if the man had rolled around in the dirt after donning them. The skin that was visible looked leathered-- almost mummified. RG’s heart began to pound.

Conrad frantically ran in circles around the man and intermittently nudged him with his nose. He whined softly when he saw RG approach, but refused to leave the prone figure. RG felt his blood run cold as he realized the body on the ground was in the same general area as the fallen ash. He willed his feet to move as he slowly approached the corpse. Looking down upon the individual, RG peered into the unseeing eyes of a man he knew well . . . a man whose name was Fritz.