Crooked Cabin

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. It flickered in the dark and cast shadowy figures on the floor of Bleaker Woods. The Crooked Cabin it was so aptly called. It sat alone and secluded deep in the woods. The cabin was a single-story cabin with a porch that stretched right around its frame, holding up its slanted roof. It might have been warm and inviting once upon a time, but it now sat crooked and decayed and fallen into disarray. Even the single path leading from the edge of Bleaker Wood, that snaked through the trees, to the cabin had long disappeared. Over time, the hundreds of shoes that had paved the way to the cabin had been cleared away.

The cabin had remained deserted when its 56-year-old owner Billy “Boot” Dawson and his wife, Mildred “Mags” Dawson disappeared.

And the folks of the town began to whisper to each other:

Hidden in the dead Bleaker Woods

Lived old coot, Billy Boot

And old hag, Millie Mags

In the crooked cabin, they stayed

Alone with their strays

Now, old coot, Billy Boot

Was a cruel old man

He left his wife bruised and blue

So, it wasn’t a surprise

When the folks heard of her demise

Now, the old hag, Millie Mags

From the beam, she swung

And the song was sung

Of old hag Millie Mags

Who lived in her crooked cabin

With her crooked neck

Now all the children knew

If you see a light in Bleaker woods

Run straight and true

Before old coot, Billy Boot

Catches up to you

The cabin remained abandoned, barely visible from the road. So, when the group of boys, caught a glimpse of the light in Bleaker Wood, they skidded their bikes to a halt. They watched as the light flickered and danced and beckoned at them.

The boys, so eager to impress each other, turned their bikes off of the road. And into the woods, they went. They followed the light as though it was a beacon. They slipped through the trees of Bleaker Wood. The only sound they made was the crunch of leaves beneath the tires of their bike.

Finally, they arrived at the clearing where the Crooked Cabin sat.

And there, in the crooked window, was the crooked candle.

And holding the candle was a crooked-neck lady.

Her face, contorted in pain, stared blankly at them. Her gaping mouth moved once to say “run”.

And there, in the cabin in the woods that had been abandoned for years, the window was dark again.

And now, the folks of the town said to each other:

Hidden in the dead Bleaker Woods

Lived old coot, Billy Boot

And old hag, Millie Mags

In the crooked cabin, they stayed

Alone with their strays

Now, old coot, Billy Boot

Was a cruel old man

He left his wife bruised and blue

So, it wasn’t a surprise

When the folks heard of her demise

Now, the old hag, Millie Mags

From the beam, she swung

And the song was sung

Of old hag Millie Mags

Who lived in her crooked cabin

With her crooked neck

Now all the children knew

If you see a light in Bleaker woods

Run straight and true

Before old coot, Billy Boot

Catches up to you

If only those four boys had listened

To old hag Millie Mags

But now from the beam, they swung

Their necks crooked as they hung

Next to old hag Millie Mags