One Single Candle

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. No one knew where it had come from as the door was completely blocked by the oak tree that had grown up through the front porch and gently lifted the small roof off the area. The cabin still stood, sturdy as ever, the tree now a permanent part of it, blocking the only real entrance or exit. The candle was visible, despite the surrounding forest, because whoever or whatever had placed it in the window had put it in the upstairs one, overlooking the clearing and the lake, almost like a lighthouse beacon, the small, flickering light shining oddly bright out over the water.

The people who lived along the lake, the ones who had cabins of their own, or the people who rented cabins for the summer all stared in wonder at the light, curious what it could mean. At first, the light shined in a cheery manner, or so it seemed to everyone watching, but the longer they watched, the more foreboding it seemed, with long shadows flickering and moving behind it. The cobwebs and dust caking the window did no favors in the making it seem less menacing and forlorn. Nor did the way even the bats and owls even seemed to steer clear of the cabin after the candle made it's sudden appearance, the ghosting of the night wings gliding well clear and even the trees seeming to bend away from the cabin as though some THING inside was malevolent and at all costs should be avoided. Surely it was a trick of the dark, the onlookers thought uneasily. Trees don't suddenly bend away from somewhere, not after years of growth in other directions. Yet everyone was seeing the same thing. Another funny thing seemed to be going on with the candle as well. No matter how long the candle burned, or how high the flame jumped, the candle never got any shorter or lower in the window. And was the candle changing color? The ever-growing crowd on the other side of the lake all would have sworn it started out as a cheerful light pink, almost the color of a light blush or a pale rose, an innocent color to be sure. As it continued to burn and the night darkened, the color slowly leeched out completely, going first an eerie, ghostly white, then darkening, turning a shadowy gray, then finally, as even the stars winked out and total darkness fell, the candle turned totally black. Black as coal. Black as pitch. Black as the devil's soul, some would say. And as one, all the onlookers gasped, because behind the candle, clear as anything, was a shadowy creature.

It was far too tall to be a man, woman, or natural beast. Based on the shadow, it must have been close to twelve feet tall, broad shouldered, with a large tail. Then a noise was heard. The SCRITCH, SCRITCH, SCRITCH of nails on glass and the candle was momentarily obscured by an enormous hand, scratching at the window. The crowd collectively screamed and several people fell in the lake, having been perched a little too close to edge of the water. That's when the commotion really started. THINGS started coming out of the lake, tearing apart the unfortunate onlookers who had fallen in and even crawling out of the dark depths to seize more, dragging the unwilling victims back with them, often after snapping their necks. The crowd was in pandemonium. Something was blocking them from leaving the edge of the lake, some dark power, forcing them ever closer to the water and their doom. All the while, the candle burned on, the flames burning higher, brighter, and bearing a silent witness to the carnage. Then the window popped out in from of the candle, with an ominous scraping sound and whatever IT was had gotten free. Free to join the blood bath. Free to run loose and cause terror elsewhere. Free to...

Just as suddenly as the candle had appeared, it flickered out and disappeared, taking all the monstrosities casually ripping the lake people to shreds with it. The barrier disappeared, allowing the few bedraggled survivors to crawl, bleeding, bewildered and utterly terrified, to the nearest phone to call for whatever help they could arrange and to pray it would arrive before the candle made another appearance.

But candles aren't scary. Or are they?