Birthday in the Cabin

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. It was no taller than a toothpick and no thicker than the stem of a rose. The flame was so small, it didn't cast a shadow or reveal the cabin's interior, it simply illuminated itself. The flame began to flicker as if a slight breeze flowed around it, then out it went!

No more than a few seconds later, the candle was lit again but a small human face was subtly lit by the single candle flame. The eyes of the face watched the flame as if they were willing it to stay lit. Then the face disappeared!

Suddenly, a dim glowed appeared on the floor. Another candle was lit. And then another, and another until a small area of the floor was illuminated by the candle flames. As small as the candles were, the collective of them dimly lit the living space of the cabin, as well as the rest of the body to the face that lit the candles. Their big eyes scanned the candles from the one on the window, to a tattered paper with nine names and nine candles sitting atop it, to the thirteen candles surrounding it. A smile formed on their lips as they watched the flames and counted, "one, two, three..." to twenty-three total candles.

They lowered themself to the floor facing the paper and candles, eyeing each flame as if making a delicate decision.

"Wicked be no more," they whispered softly, almost sadly. They reached for one of the candles, a blue and white striped candle that lit up the name 'Kenny' beneath it. The candle moved to their lips and they whispered "you... are... no more." The flame extinguished at the last word.

Eight more to go.

A neon pink candle flame flickered - 'Audrey' was the name on the page. They moved the candle off the paper to their lips, whispered "you are no more," and the flame was blown out.

Seven left.

A red candle glowed for Noah. A light green for Blake. Baby blue for Harley. Lavender for Matthew. Orange for Mr. Hans. Yellow for Jen, and dark blue for Mike.

They continued to remove each candle one by one from the page with the names, whispering with intent "you are no more," and letting the last word extinguish the flame each time. Nine candles... nine birthday candles. In parallel, nine human lives would suddenly be reported missing the following day.

Now only one significant candle was left among the other thirteen, the first flame that was lit, the white wax more than halfway melted now.

They stood to approach the window, carefully stepping over the remaining candles on the floor. Watching their own flame flicker in the darkness, the thought of not having to return this cabin again after tonight brought a sense of joy mixed with pain of remembrance. They removed the candle from the window and walked to sit back on the floor.

"I didn't deserve to die on my birthday, I was only 13!" They shouted softly as a small tear fell from their eye. "But they deserve what has been done," they whispered as the white candle's flame began to flicker as if to snuff out at the moment of slight air movement. They looked to the thirteen candles still lit around them and back to the white candle melting in their hand. As the flame of the white candle burned the wick to near end, they began to sing "happy birthday... to me... happy birthday to me... happy birthday... and never again."

They drew a deep breath and blew the last thirteen candles out as the white candle's flame extinguished itself, and when the darkness of the cabin fully returned, they had vanished, along with all the birthday candles!

Some passerby's of the cabin will tell tales of feeling different spirits or presences around the cabin and in the woods, sometimes nine at once! Very few knew of a birthday party that had happened there once, but what happened at the party, no one knew. Except nine people, who mysteriously vanished many years later, altogether at the same time. The End!