Ezekiel's Island

"The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window." Josh paused, looking around the campfire at each of his pals for dramatic effect. His blue eyes gleamed with mischief as he tossed his arm casually around his boyfriend, Bryan's shoulders.

Kari rolled her eyes dismissively. "Josh, you tool, campfire stories, really?" She shook her mane of auburn curls, " What? Are we camping with our mommies?" She giggled as he pursed his lips.

"Have a beer, birthday girl," he spat back, tossing a can toward her, "and listen."

She shook her head. "I don't drink, gimme a Coke."

Josh tossed a can of cola to her, exaggerating the motion. He stood up, bowed and fell to his knees. "I'm so sorry, madam," he teased, "I forgot, you're just a baby. Seventeen." He sipped his beer and grinned.

"Only 'till tomorrow," she clapped back.

Josh nodded. "Okay, well, Little Miss Only 'Till Tomorrow, listen and listen good." He paused again, waiting for the giggles to die down around the fire.

"This isn't any ordinary campfire story. It's the truth! I know because my great-granddad told me all about it and he was no liar."

The group fell silent, allowing Josh to continue.

"You know why this is called Ezekiel's Island, right?" Bryan piped up, knowing the story that was about to be told.

Heads shook around the flames.

Josh took over, grinning widely. "This island belonged to Ezekiel Barnes, an eccentric old billionaire who made a fortune off the steel industry."

A spark of recognition appeared on the faces of the young man's audience. The Barnes name was still well-known in the community.

"See the cabin back there?" Josh pointed behind him to a small, dilapidated shack in the near distance. "See the candle burning in the window? That's the old Barnes homestead."

Kari sipped her drink and waved her hand at Josh, "So what?" she challenged. "I'll bet you came here and lit the candle before we came over." A swell of anger welled up in her as she stood in the face of yet another of her friend's practical jokes.

"Shhh!" Paige scolded, leaning in, eager for Josh to continue.

The lanky adolescent stared hard at Kari, then looked at Bryan. "As if I have time to get Dad's boat, row all the way out here, light a stupid candle then come back and get you, go shopping and come back." He snorted derisively, "Oh and I worked today too, there's that."

Bryan ran a hand through his straw-coloured hair and nodded, backing up his love. "Nope, he worked till 8, so..."

Josh patted Bryan's thigh, "Okay, can I finish the story now?" he mocked.

Everyone nodded.

"So, that, back there's the old Barnes place. He was a strange old fella, with light blue eyes like marbles that looked right through you. My great-granddad met him once when he was a kid. Creeped the bejesus out of him!"

Kari rolled her eyes again.

Josh ignored her and continued:

So, this Ezekiel, he was always kinda old and kinda strange. But he had tons of money. They say his parents sent him over here to live on the island because he was just too creepy to live in town.

Somehow, old Ezekiel, or Zeke as they called him back then, got himself a wife. A beautiful girl named Mary Burrows-Hatchett, with thick blonde curls and eyes as green as the grass. Her skin was the colour of porcelain and as soft as a baby's. They say when he married her he was 37 and she was 16. That was common back then.

Soon after they were married, Mary's family stopped seeing her around town. They say Zeke was pretty possessive and kind of domineering.

He was obsessed with Mary and wanted her beauty for himself and himself only.

Then, one night, Mary turned up dead...

Paige gasped.

Josh nodded, pleased and continued:

It was July 20, 1865, the night before Mary's 18th birthday. And. just before midnight, there she was, dead as dead can be!

She was just there, sitting at the table in the kitchen like nothing ever happened like she was about to eat or something. But she was dead.

Some people say Zeke killed her. That's what my great-granddad said. But he said he couldn't say for sure.

All he knew was the loss of his precious Mary did something to him, something bad, real bad!

He kept her body there. Like a statue or something. Just sitting there, decomposing, rotting, smelling.

He got up every morning and made breakfast for both her and himself. He talked to her. He kissed her rotting corpse as the skin fell off and maggots took over her shell...

"Yeah, right!" Kari interrupted. "And then he died and came back and killed every single person that showed up on his island ever in life!"

Bryan grabbed another beer, "Shut up, Kari!" The fear on his face was evident.

Josh snarled, "Are you going to listen or not?" he demanded, "because I'm freakin' serious!"

Kari nodded.

So, like I said, old Zeke was never the same. Some say he went mad. Some say he always was. I don't know. But I do know what he did.

He kept Mary's body at that table for about a year. Then, he put her to rest.

And that's when the true evil began.

He went in search of another young bride, another Mary, pretty, young, alive. There were no takers.

So he took his own, both brides and grooms. Kids' graves started turning up empty all around town.

And when there were no more graves to rob, young people started turning up dead, all of the 17, almost 18. Right there in that irresistable sweet spot, almost an adult, but still a kid. Fresh-faced and innocent, but grown up, ya know.

That's exactly how he liked them.

Kari jumped up and tossed her can. "Gimme a beer, Josh, this is so dumb!" she cried.

Bryan smirked, "Is it?"

"This is bullshit!" Kari spat, completely over Josh's antics. "I'm going into that stupid cabin and I'll show you. This has Josh written all over it!" She trudged away from the shore behind her.

"Josh lept to his feet, suddenly frantic, "Wait!" he yelled, don't you want to know what happens?"

Kari laughed. " I know, Joshie-Washie, Zeke killed everyone who comes here right on the eve of their 18th birthday and now that he's dead his ghost does it. What. Freakin'. Ever!" She continued toward the cabin.

She paused momentarily as she approached the structure. It smelled of rotting wood, damp and incense left from young party-seekers that came before her.

She pushed open the door. It creaked loudly. She peered inside and called back to her friends, very satisfied with herself, "I'm going in and I'm not dead!"

Another step, then 2, then 3. She was right in the kitchen, a table with 4 chairs before her, untouched by time. A pair of china mugs sat on delicate saucers on each end. The smell of fresh tea filled her nose.

One more step. A figure at the far end. A girl, beautiful, with smooth dark skin and auburn curls, sitting quietly, her hands folded in her lap.

Kari gasped as she took one more step, the girl was her. She turned to run, but she was frozen in place, her feet like concrete blocks as she stared at her lifeless image. She screamed, but it came out as a squeak.

She heard a rumbling behind her. It was Josh, Bryan and Paige. There was a lot of noise. Someone was crying. There was some sort of commotion. She looked at her watch, 11:59 soon turned to midnight.

Josh shook his head, tears streaming down his face, and kissed the body's forehead, she felt it just as if he'd kissed her. "Happy birthday, kid, you're forever 17."