You're Invited to Ethel's Birthday Party

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. This candle only burned in the middle of the summer every ten years, and it served as an invitation for wanderers to make themselves at home. Unless you want to lose some body parts, you must respect Ethel’s rules and only enter her cabin with her permission.

Ethel was only ten years old when her body was found floating down the river near her cabin. She had disappeared while picking daisies to use for decorations, and she was buried in the sky blue dress she had hoped to show off to her guests. A few weeks before what would’ve been her eleventh birthday, her folks grew a garden of daisies shortly before moving out.

“We’re leaving her some flowers to decorate for her next birthday party,” they explained. “We want to ensure that she has much easier access to them than she did last time. All she wants to do is celebrate.”

According to legend, Ethel only allows guests to her birthday party every ten years. Once you see the candle in the window, you may enter. Anyone who enters at any other time of the day or year must give the birthday girl a piece of their own body as a gift. Her preferred gifts on the correct date are some cake, a bouquet of daisies, and an item of your own choosing. In return, she shall give you the honor of making a wish.

Ethel’s one-hundredth birthday was approaching, and no one had made it to her cabin since her sixtieth.

-

Kyle was a meek young man with dirty blonde hair that always covered his brown eyes. He often wore a belt, even if he didn’t need one, and he liked to wear striped shirts. He especially liked wearing ones that completely covered his chest, concealing the scar he received from the accident that killed his friend. Even before that, he hadn’t been well in the head since his mother’s death.

Two years ago, Kyle was driving his good friend Lana back home after their night out was cut short due to an argument. Lana insisted that he drive her home in the middle of a movie, and it only got worst as he struggled to see through the storm. The car went right off the road and crashed into a tree. The branches only scratched Kyle across the chest, but Lana got impaled and managed to linger on for about a minute before passing on. He saw the lights in her eyes go out as blood sputtered from her mouth.

Ever since that night, something had been following Kyle. No matter what he did, nothing could stop it. He figured that if nothing natural could stop it, then maybe something supernatural could. He had known about Ethel’s birthday party since he was young, and now he had a plan to attend it in order to have his wish granted. The exact date and location differed by the sources, so Kyle chose carefully after years of research. He was now driving up to the mountains with his camping gear, anxiously awaiting the once-in-a-lifetime party.

Kyle decided to check his phone one last time before he charted into the territory with no reception. He had received a message from someone saved in his contacts as “Mutt”.

“I heard about your little trip, Kyle. I hope you never make it back.”

A little bothered, Kyle put his phone away and began his journey.

-

It had been twelve hours since Kyle began his hike through the woods. He had left his truck at eight in the morning, and he hadn’t even set up a campsite yet. Certain that the party was tonight, he had to reach the cabin with as few stops as possible. As a matter of fact, he really needed to pee as he marched further and further into the woods. He didn’t even stop for lunch that day. This journey was basically a do-or-die situation for the troubled young man.

Just when his toes were on the brink of breaking off, Kyle finally saw a light in the distance. His feet were killing him, but he sped up regardless. A smile finally spread across his face when he saw that the light was coming from a dirty window in an abandoned cabin. He had finally found it. Cautiously, he pulled out his gifts for Ethel and picked some daisies from the garden. Knowing that he had permission to enter, he made his way to the door.

He barely made it to the front porch when something whacked him in the head, sending him crashing to the ground. It wasn’t enough to knock him out, though, as he could see his attacker entering the cabin. Even though his brain had just been tossed around in his skull, he mustered up the strength to get up and grab his things. He collected what was left of the cake and tucked his present under his arm with the flowers in his hand. Stumbling like a fool, he made his way inside.

“Mutt,” he sputtered.

Mutt was older than Kyle and had a much tougher exterior. His blonde hair was a striking contrast to the black clothing he had worn since his sister died. After setting his gifts for Ethel on the ground, he picked up the thick branch he had whacked Kyle in the head with. Even as his enemy struggled to move, he glared without any sign of joy on his face.

“Only Lana called me that, you scum,” Mutt sneered. “I know why you’re here, and you’re wasting your time. She will never forgive you.”

“Do you really think that I came here to see her?” Kyle asked as he limped closer to the center of the room. “I came all this way to escape this hell that I’ve lived in for the past two years.”

“What are you going to do? Wish that you never killed her?”

“I didn’t kill her!”

“Yes, you did! She texted me as you were driving her home. She said that you were trying to talk her into being your girlfriend, and she felt threatened. She said that you told her that she was making a big mistake. You’ve been looking for a woman to care for you after your mother died, and it wasn’t my sister’s job to care for you. You don’t deserve to have any of your wishes come true.”

Before Kyle could reply, someone with the softest voice in the world sang “Happy Birthday” in the shadows. The men gasped as a tiny brown-haired child in a sky blue dress tiptoed into the light. She smiled sweetly as she pulled out some candles and placed one into each slice of cake that her party guests provided. She opened her presents and accepted Kyle’s teddy bear charm necklace and Mutt’s daisy scarf. As she smiled wider and brighter, she tapped on the candles, making them spark magically.

“Thank you for coming to my party,” she said softly. “I shall now grant your wishes. What do you wish for?”

“I wish for my sister to return, even if for a few minutes,” Mutt said.

“I wish for Mutt to drop dead and leave me alone!” Kyle blurted out.

Before Mutt could protest, he suddenly dropped dead as the candle on Kyle’s cake went out. Kyle smiled, knowing that he would no longer be haunted by Lana’s death through her brother’s threatening calls and text messages. Unfortunately, his smile was wiped off his face when he saw that the candle on Mutt’s cake had also been blown out. Knowing what it could mean, he ran for the exit.

For the first time in two years, Kyle looked deeply into Lana’s blue eyes. Her blonde hair danced in the sudden wind as she snatched his belt right off his pants. Since his pants actually fit him, he didn’t even notice that his belt had been removed until it was wrapped around his neck like a collar with a leash. She pulled out of the cabin like the dog he was and led him to a tree. One particular branch was pointed towards the ground like a spear. Knowing what Lana had in store for him, the coward begged for his life as she lifted him in the air by his neck.

“Lana,” he choked out. “Please…please let me go. I’m sorry.”

Lana wasn’t convinced. She remembered the night when the car drove off the road. She remembered Kyle saying, “So be it,” before driving sharply off the road and directly towards a tree. The branch that ultimately killed her had actually stopped right in front of her chest after going through the window. Seeing that he had his defenseless friend right where he wanted her, he slammed on the gas pedal, impaling her on the branch and giving himself some deep cuts that would later become scars. Now it was her turn.

Mutt’s ghost appeared with a grin behind his sister. He mouthed kill him over and over again. The last thing Kyle heard as he stared horrifically at the branch piercing through his stomach was the sound of Lana and Mutt’s ghosts laughing as Ethel’s ghost sang “Happy Birthday” to herself one more time.