Misery Cabin

Misery Woods stood east of town, approximately a hundred-acre stretch that was accompanied by the misery river. It was a busy area for camping, fishing, and all other outdoor activities. Ghost stories are often told there, especially about its only building. The lonely cabin at the top of the hill would become the topic of discussion whenever someone new saw it for the first time. The local lore had to be shared with the newcomer.

Once, it belonged to the park ranger and his wife. A happy couple with a young son. They had lived there ever since the park was established in 1938.

The son grew up there, finished school, and moved away. Leaving the couple to grow old together. They looked forward to the day when the park ranger would retire, and they would be together always.

A month before the old park ranger was set to retire there was a series of vandalism in the area. Local police suspected some of the teens in the area were responsible but could not prove it. The park ranger did his job and kept a lookout every evening in the park before he went home for the day.

One evening a young boy came running up to the park ranger looking scared.

“Sir!, Sir!, please help me!” the boy cried

“What’s the matter, son?”

“Please sir, my brother is hurt, over this way!”

The ranger followed the boy in until all of a sudden he lost track of him.

When he continued to look for the boy and his brother, the man fell.

The hole was deep and filled with debris, it would take a little while for him to get out, the ranger knew he had been misled. Afraid that his wife might be in danger, he had to figure out a way to get out.

It was dark when the ranger finally arrived back at the cabin. The little house was vandalized, windows broken, the garden destroyed, the front door broken, and only a few pieces of wood left hanging from hinges. A cold chill went down the ranger's spine, where was his wife?

In the cabin, lay the batter and bloody body of his dear wife. It looked as if she had tried to make them leave, she had their son's old baseball bat beside her but they had been too many for her. Furniture was destroyed, pictures are broken, and it seemed all they worked for had been decimated.

Despair overtook the old park ranger, he could not go on. He walked out back of the cabin and observed the destruction further. His supply shed was broken open and several items were taken, inside the wreckage, he found some rope.

The oak by the river is where the ranger ended his life. His body was found hanging from its branches when the police came the next morning.

The cabin on the still stands, a testament to all that happened there, in happiness and despair. If you ever happen by there in the late evening you might see the candle in the window. The park ranger's wife is waiting for her husband to come home, but he never does. Her husband's spirit is still grieving over her loss and wanders around the cabin looking for his wife. Never able to find each other, lost, both searching endlessly for one another, for all of the years to come.

When you camp in misery park expect to have company. Not only the other campers but those from the spirit world. The old park ranger and his wife continue to watch over their home.

Thanks for reading! Please feel free to take a look at some of my other stories. Comments are welcomed.