Heritage

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. Chelsea felt a chill go through her body as she saw it in the distance. The woods were thick, but the light shined brightly through. She could see it clear as day from the back patio of her home, nestled in the woods two miles from the cabin.

Chelsea had only lived in her home for three years, but she had heard the stories of how a woman lived there and was a witch. She had been executed for her crimes, yet the cabin, hundreds of years old, never looked like it had aged a day past then.

Many stories of people dying or mysteriously disappearing in the area. Despite the chill in the air Chelsea knew full well there was nothing to fear. Believing in ghost stories was a waste of her time. After wrapping her shawl around herself, she went inside.

Her mind busied with her usual routine in the evening, and she forgot all about the candle in the window. She heard someone call her “Chelsea” It sounded further away, and Chelsea went to the front door and opened it. There was no one there.

Brushing it off, she assumed she was just hearing things, so she went and sat in her comfy chair and wrapped up in a blanket to read her books. That was when she heard someone knocking at the door. She returned to the door and opened it, but no one was there.

Shrugging, Chelsea shut the door and then heard someone knocking at her back door. She started to believe that the area kids must be up to shenanigans. That was when she remembered the candle in the window.

Worried that it may start a fire, Chelsea decided she would go and blow the candle out. She would hate for the kids’ fun to turn into a fire that would wipe out many homes and possibly harm others. So she slipped on her boots and grabbed her jacket.

Traipsing through the woods, she had her flashlight, but the light from the cabin was eerily lighting her path. So she did no thave ot use it. Knowing the place was 2 miles away, Chelsea found this odd but shrugged the feeling away.

When she reached the cabin’s clearing, she saw someone dressed in all white standing before it. It almost looked as if they were floating. Chelsea felt a strange need to escape the situation, but the woman before her drew her attention.

The woman turned towards her, and the almost white glow around her turned crimson as she turned in Chelsea’s direction. “It is you who had me killed!”

Chelsea began looking around. This had to be some sick joke. The woman raised her arm, and she felt herself slam into the tree behind her; and as the woman got closer, branches and roots took hold of her and held her there.

She fought as hard as she could to no avail. No words escaped her; all she could do was watch as the woman got closer.

“You will burn for what your ancestors did to me.”

“What did my ancestors do?”

“He came into my home, beat me, and forced himself on me. I found myself with child. I tried to kill myself, but he would not let me. Tied me up in this cabin and made me have his devil child. When I had the baby, he had me burned alive as a witch. I was no witch! I cursed the land that day… and have just been waiting for you. You are the product of his unholy seed in me… we all must burn.”

That was the last thing Chelsea heard before she was engulfed in flames.