The Candle in the Window

The cabin in the wood had been abandoned for years until one day a candle burned in the window. I'm new to this town, on lake with my new husband who works all time. I can see a beautiful cabin directly across from my cabin. It's nice with big windows and sits on a small hill that falls down into the lake. The day that my eyes set gaze upon the mysterious candle was the day that I began to unravel, and knew that I had to find out the story behind the cabin.

The towns people were nice. They all owned a little piece of the town. I started to ask around. I was leaving messages asking if I could buy the property and the store owner told me that the cabin couldn't be bought. He gave no explanation just said to stop asking. I walked out of the store and saw a girl around 16 years old. She looked at me and started to walk towards me. "Hey, don't worry about that cabin just let it go."she whispered to me."But there is a candle burning in the window" I spoke quietly at her. Her eyes became large as she looked up at the sky then back at me, then suddenly the rain began to fall like I've never seen. She took 2 steps back from me and ran away. I turned and rushed to my car and drove home still unknowing.

The rain fell for days, in and out. And for days I stood watching the candle burn without melting or burning out. My suspicions grew as I fell drawn to the cabin. Gazing in to the light from my window I was compelled to swim. I ran out my door on to the dock and dived in. I swam and swam. It felt like I had been swimming for 30 minutes. Tiring I'm growing weak. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. I know I'm almost there. I had look up from the water, Confused I look back to my dock, I hadn't moved. I was only a few feet away from where I had dived. What was happening? I turned back and pulled myself out of the lake. My heart raced as I fell to the ground. I was so exhausted. I passed out.

As I slept, I could feel my husbands touch, his embrace, his forehead kiss and his cradling embrace. I couldn't respond, my body was too tired. When I awoke the next morning, my husband had gone to work, I presumed. As l rolled out of my bed, my eyes hit first glance on the the candle. It burned brighter then ever through the rain that was pouring harder then ever.

The next day after I had rested, I went down to the dock. I sat and watched as the candle continued to burn brighter. With every flicker my obsession grew stronger. I had to get there. The candle was calling out to me. Then I had a memory of a floating raft my husband had in the attic. I ran to get it blew it up and was in the water within minutes. I'm almost there, I'm going to make it. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. When I got to the middle of the lake, it happened again. I looked back to my cabin and I had gotten nowhere. I was still sitting at the dock. As I sat confused, looking at the candle, I heard my husband calling out from the porch "Babe, Babe, please come back." I saw him walking towards me as I fell, exhausted from the overexertion, I passed out before he could get to me.

I couldn't see anything but that candle. It haunted my dreams. I dreamt that I made it to the cabin and opened the door to nothing but the candle burning. I'd walk up to it and blow it out and then wake up with a sudden push. I knew that I needed to go blow the candle out to break the compulsion. I set out to do just that, one more time I would try. I marched to the dock and the rain had sank my raft so one more swim. I took 2 deep breaths and the rain stopped. I took a moment to glance around. Then I heard the candle. It was truly calling out to me with familiar voices. I ran and dived in. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. I'm getting tired but I lookup and this time I had done it. I made it. I pull out of the water and lay down for a quick breath and I'm up. I get to the door and all I could think was that I was dreaming. Am I dreaming? What do i do? And then I see it, the candle. But now I hear the voices, my husband who was a blur grabs my hand and kisses it as he pulls me inside and softly he says in a sob "Baby, I will be ok if you're ready to go and rest, but I need you I can't live without you please come back to me." Confused and scared I try to comfort and reach out to him but I can't. "I'm not baby, I'm right here please what's happening?" I looked back at the candle and then I knew what to do. I stood in front of it and I blew it out.