The Lady in Leaves

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. This is the story of how Norna Liście became the Lady in Leaves.

There was an old woman who lived in a cabin deep in the woods outside a village, her name was Norna. She would spend her days growing botanical plants and flowers, secretly selling them to villagers in need of natural remedies for sickness. She did this secretly as she worried she would be a misunderstood doctor and called a witch.

The village contained a vigilante who made sure all was well and no one misbehaved. While walking through the forest he stumbles upon the secret cabin and takes a look through the window. Seeing inside plants and open vials with noted papers, as well as a candle burning in the window. He presumes it was the shack of a witch. He runs back to the village and spreads word of the evil acts that may be happening within the cabin.

With the entire village now believing the woman living in the cabin was a witch, Norna Liście started getting harassed, and her house vandalized by the villagers. She would come back from her long walks to find her gardens ripped up, and wooden logs crashed in her windows. She later notices how mud was spread all over the doors and walls of the outside. This began to infuriate Norna. She figured if people would treat her like a witch then she may as well become the very thing they feared.

In revenge for her home she started guarding the area within the woods. People who happened to wander near Norna's cabin, not aware of her, were sent running away in pure fear. Norna would run around the outside of her cabin chasing away anyone who wandered too close. On some days she would craft strange wooden symbols to hang from the trees to ward off those who would linger nearby.

After several months of this, the forest belonged to Norna Liście. To her anyways, but to the villagers she became the Woman in Leaves. Norna was always seen with tattered hair and ragged clothes, along with leaves scattered throughout her hair. A crazy old witch who worked with the dark arts and hid in the forest. This charade was put up for so long though that it got attached to Norna. She educated herself on all things witchcraft as she felt it was a calling to her, and it was the only way she'd find happiness in and protection to her home. No matter how much she would try to scare away people, there would always be a new person wandering by. So Norna devised a new plan. one that would have nobody enter into the woods again. She started planting a very pretty flower around the area of her home. This malevolent blossom was known as wolfsbane. Not too soon after the plants were thriving, a fly was caught into Nornas web. A group of teenagers had heard about the warnings of the Woman in Leaves, and wanted to taunt Ms. Liście. A boy within the group decided to stomp and rip up the particularly placed bushes hoping it would disturb Norna and have her run out of her home to chase them. They were disappointed when no reaction was brought, instead they only saw the face of Norna staring at them through her window with wide eyes. Her dry mouth formed a broken grin. The boy was annoyed the most and thought he'd test the womans patience and continued ripping the plant.

Few moments later the boy was feeling nauseated and even threw up. The other kids getting worried for their friend decided it was best for all of them to leave. They weren't aware of the plant they had ripped up which was the reason for their friend's illness. So not knowing, they were unable to inform the village of the problem. A day later the boy was pronounced dead. The village in full fury stormed into the woods to find Norna in belief the witch had cursed the boy. Only they had to stop as they realized the forest had blossomed into a jungle of poisonous flowers, a village herbalist confirmed the plants being wolfbane and poison ivy. Nobody could bother Norna anymore. But the village knew that something had to be done. The woods were not only for Norna and they had to make sure she knew that.

The night sky took over the land, and one brave soul from the village went out and boarded up the doors outside the cabin and placed a single plank over the window. Norna would not be able to leave her cabin anymore, she would be forced to hide away forever and never plant another poisonous plant. As the villager walks away he hears banging coming from the inside. It's Nora's voice shouting to let her out. That it should not be allowed to trap her. She screamed that she hated everyone in the village for having abused her and her home, and hated all who tore up her flowers. Vowing they would pay.

A month goes by and all is quiet. But despite Norna’s death, the flowers continued to bloom as if someone was taking care of them. Nobody knew who though since everyone swore to stay away from the cabin.

By now it’s been years and the story of the Lady in Leaves returns during one quiet night. A man leaves the village to walk his dog and decides to take the trail into the woods.

When day arrives, a few friends become worried since their friend has not arrived back home. A search team is created and they spread out looking for their lost friend. While looking just on the edge of the forest, they hear the distant barking of a dog. Their hopes are raised believing it's the dog of the missing man. They quickly follow the sound of the barking when they realize the sound of the dog has led them to the cabin, but the barking had stopped and there was no dog in sight. They tell themselves that no matter what they would not approach the cabin and start to walk away. A small child within the search group does not understand why everyone is so afraid of this cabin, and so he walks up to look through the window with a lit candle. Looking inside he screams as he finds the body of the missing man lying dead inside, purple wolfsbane petals fill his mouth. The villagers are forced to block off the entrance to the trail in the woods. They believed their friend had been captured by the Lady in Leaves.

A legend of the Lady in Leaves is told, Norna Liście, a witch who lived in the cabin and loved to plant poisonous flowers, was so evil she had to be trapped in her cabin. When she died she became a vengeful ghost who continues to take care of her plants. At night she lures people who wander too close with a candle. Once you meet her she will poison you and drag you into her cabin to be locked away forever, just as the villagers had done with her.