Lone Flames and Old Smoke

“The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window.” Was the first sentence in Bethany’s tale. It was her turn to share a ghost story with the other campers. They had already heard stories about little siblings who can crawl across ceilings and exams that remain blank no matter how many times you write the answer. All terrifying, but Bethany had a story to share that would really freak out the girls.

“This wasn’t just any cabin. This is a true story of what happened at the cabin on Wildehoff Mountain.” The sixteen year old girl had a devious smile on her face, lit up by the dancing orange glow of the campfire. The other campers before were more preoccupied with roasting their marshmallows and only half listening to Bethany speak. But at the mention of the mountain that looms near their summer camp, the girls all looked over to Bethany.

Angie was in the midst of setting her marshmallow on fire and blowing it out when she too got her interest peaked by the mention of the mountain. Angie slid her marshmallow off of the stick and popped the gooey treat into her mouth. She chewed and set her stick down on the empty log for which she was the only one sitting on.

Before Bethany continued on, Angie swallowed her marshmallow and interrupted, “So…how exactly do you know this is a true story?”

“Because, Angie, my sister used to come to this camp years ago. She heard the story, and actually found the cabin herself with some friends after sneaking off the hiking trail one day. They all swear up and down that this is what happened. Now please no more interruptions. You’ll make me lose my train of thought.”

Angie held up her hands apologetically. Bethany continued, “Right. Now as I was saying. Up on Wildehoff Mountain sits an abandoned cabin. They say that the cabin is partially burned down because some boys snuck up there with fireworks. I’m sure you can figure out how that went.” A couple of the girls giggled as they imagined boys running frantically away from a tantrum ridden firework. “Back in the 1970’s, in this very camp, was a girl named Louise Turner. She was seventeen years old when she died from a beast who hides away on the mountain.”

Bethany sat on her log with her back to the mountain that was just starting to get a faint glow from the moon starting to creep up over its peak. A quiet had settled over the campers. Nothing but the crackle of burning wood and the faint song of the croaking frogs from the nearby lake could be heard. Angie kept her eyes on the blonde haired storyteller. She could tell that Bethany was enjoying the attention that she was receiving as everyone kept their focus on her words. She quietly slipped another marshmallow onto her stick when Bethany leaned in a little closer to their circle and spoke.

“Louise Turner was just an ordinary girl with dreams of a fun filled summer that had quickly turned into nightmares. Her nightmare began on just a normal day with a planned camp activity of hiking up Wildehoff Mountain. Louise, like the other girls that day, had slipped on her sneakers, sprayed herself religiously with bug spray, and slipped on her rucksack with snacks and some emergency supplies ‘just in case’. A couple hours into the hike, the group had stopped to take a short break. Louise took this opportunity to have some privacy so that she may use the bathroom. She wandered off a few yards away from the group into some thicker greenery to cover her when she squatted behind a bush to go. When she was done, Louise headed back to where she had thought the group would be. What Louise didn’t know then, was that she had gone into the opposite direction then where she came, and ended up getting lost. She was alone and unsure of where she was on that mountain. Louise wandered for hours. Each step she took started to fill her with fear as she ended up further and further from safety. Eventually the sun had set and the trees enveloped around her like a wall of darkness.

“Louise had reached into her rucksack in search of her flashlight. When she pulled it out, it wouldn’t turn on! She shook and smacked the flashlight and a brief light turned on before it sputtered back out. ‘Damn batteries!’ Louise cursed. She shoved her hand back into her bag again and pulled out an emergency candle that had been stashed at the bottom of her sack. With no other option, Louise struck a match and lit the candle and held it away from her body and a faint glow of light lit up a few feet around her. She used her candle to continue walking through the woods and eventually came across the abandoned cabin. She hurried inside and out of the open wilderness to get a few moments rest.

“The candle was perched on a windowsill to give some light into the cabin, and to act as a beacon through the window in case a search party was looking for her. Louise took off her sack and dropped it onto the ground where she herself went just a few moments later. She stretched out her sore legs and started to rub her calves to soothe the ache out of them. Louise was very, very hungry and tired. She thought to herself that she should eat a snack before looking for an old blanket in the cabin to keep herself warm while she waited. She was in the middle of digging a granola bar out of her bag when a low growl enveloped the room. Grrrrrrrrrrrr.” Bethany mimicked a throaty growl as she looked at each and every one of the campers.

Angie would never admit that the sound actually sent goosebumps over her arms.

“Louise had thought that her stomach had actually made that sound. She was that hungry! But that thought only lasted a moment before she heard something else. Long claws scraping against the wooden floor.” Bethany used her nails to scratch along the log she was sitting on.

“Louise was frozen in terror when she realized she was not alone in that cabin. Only a few moments later did she see what was with her. A monster. It had the claws of a bear, the low stalking canter of a wolf, and a great big rack of antlers on top of an empty, skeletal face. Nothing had ever prepared Louise for a sight such as that. I’m sure you can guess what happened then.” Bethany had said in such a low voice that the other campers had to lean in closer to hear.

“The echo of the scream that Louise gave that night is what actually led the search party to the cabin. But when they got there, Louise was nowhere to be found. Only the candle remained flickering in the window. This story is actually why this camp has the buddy system now. Everybody here has to be partnered up with someone when they go anywhere. That way the camp can no longer be held responsible for campers who get separated and eaten by the monster.”

Bethany had finished her tale with a huff, and leaned back to stretch out her back. “They say that every once in a while you can still see the candle in the cabin window. That Louise lights it to keep the monster away from camp.”

Angie realized that at about halfway through Bethany’s story she had stopped chewing on her marshmallow. Angie finished her treat as she pondered the story. Of course she knew that there was no way that monster was here. There had never been any cases or warnings! She had opened her mouth to ask Bethany why they were never told of Louise’s supposed disappearance, when someone right next to her spoke and made Angie nearly jump out of her skin.

“That’s not what happened.”

Angie swiveled her head to the side and right there sitting on the log next to her was a girl with big glasses and a long braid of black hair. Angie stared as she wondered ‘Where did she come from? Wasn’t I sitting by myself? I don't recognize her.’

Bethany was looking at the new camper with little amusement at being told she was wrong. She crossed her arms and gave the girl a once over before speaking, “Oh it’s not? Then please tell us what actually happened then.”

The girl who had not yet given her name was staring into the campfire and was quiet for a few moments. The other campers looked at each other and got a little fidgety as they waited as some were still on edge from Bethany’s story. Angie narrowed her eyes a little as she was trying to figure out what it was that seemed off about the new story teller.

“Camp Wildehoff first opened up to the public in late June of 1975.” The mysterious girl spoke. “Only about twenty girls in total were camping here, as compared to the hundred this camp now holds.. There were a handful of camp counselors to help oversee and guide the campers with activities. Louise Turner was one of the first ever campers to ever set foot through the gates of Camp Wildehoff. But she will never leave again.” The girl continued to stare into the fire. It seemed as if she were speaking to the fire personally instead of the campers around her. Did she even notice them?

“Louise was a quiet and smart girl who kept to herself. She was more interested in learning the differences between tree leaves and rocks, whereas the other girls in camp were more focused on swimming in the lake and making friends. Louise did not make friends easily. The others found her boring and left her alone with her books. One of the camp counselors took an interest in Louise and would talk with her. They shared similar interests about nature and science. This eighteen year old counselor was named Dennis Wheeler, and he quickly made friends with Louise. But towards the end of camp Dennis had started to seem…anxious, but Louise did not notice.

“Back in the day Camp Wildehoff would give out badges to those who excelled in activities. Naturally, Louise had all the badges. One morning Dennis had pulled Louise to the side and told her that the director of the camp tasked the counselors with choosing one star camper each to have a contest to see who would win the badge of ‘First Ever Top Camper’. Dennis had told Louise that his star camper was her, and in order to win the badge she had to track it down before the other campers could. The contest would take place at midnight as an ultimate challenge. He gave her coordinates that she would have to get to. Louise would need to use her knowledge of using a compass, map, and the position of the stars in the night sky to find her way to the badges location. And so, Louise did.

“She snuck out of her sleeping quarters in the middle of the night and used her skills to track the badge. The coordinates took Louise through the woods and up Wildehoff Mountain. Louise was so, so excited to win that badge and beat everyone else. She did not question why Dennis had told her not to tell the other campers. She did not question why it had to be midnight and not just after dark when the others were still awake. She did not question why she had to go alone into the woods without Dennis. She trusted her only friendship with him, and that is what led her blind.

“Louise tracked down the exact location of the coordinates. It had led to the cabin hidden away on the mountain. A lone candle was lit and cast light through a window of the cabin. A grin had spread across her face as she approached the cabin door and stepped inside to claim her prize as the very best camper. But what Louise found inside would change her life forever.

“The interior of the cabin was bare. It seemed it had been abandoned some time ago. Louise was confused as she glanced around to see where her badge could possibly be. Suddenly, Dennis stepped out of the shadows and gave Louise a small fright. She jumped then laughed and said ‘I did it Dennis! I won!’ But Dennis was not smiling or laughing in return. Instead, Dennis held a knife in one hand, which Louise only noticed after the candle light reflected off of it.

“ ‘Dennis? Why do you have a knife? Where is my badge?’ She had asked, taking a step back against the wall. She did not like the look that Dennis had on his face. It was so much different then when they had fun together.

“Dennis just stood staring at Louise before a sinister grin spread across his face. ‘You know Louise, I am sorry about what I’m about to do. I hope I made your last summer a fun one. I know it was fun for me. But now I get to do something I’ve always wanted to do. I have always wanted to be the keeper of someone’s last moments alive. Now I get to be the keeper of yours.’

“After he said those last words, Dennis lunged for Louise and a fight began. The candle that had been sitting on the window got knocked down in the fight, but Dennis had been too preoccupied with Louise to notice that the front of the cabin had caught on fire. By the time Dennis realized, it was too late for him to escape the exit. Two souls had been lost that night. One was taken by someone’s hands, and the other was taken by karma. Every year on the death date, that lonely cabin up on Wildehoff Mountain will have a candle lit in a lone window, and those at Camp Wildehoff can smell the smoke of the fire that took Louise Turner’s killer.”

The new girl had stared into the fire the entire time she had told this story. But now she lifted her head and looked directly at Bethany when she spoke.

“Your make-believe monster is not what you need to fear in this world. The real monsters are hidden in plain sight in the shape of those who are our friends, neighbors, and protectors. Never forget that.”

Bethany had gone still when she was spoken directly too. She rolled her shoulders and cleared his throat before she said,

“Okay? Now how are you so sure your story is what actually happened then?”

Angie looked between the two girls before she went still with fear. She finally realized what was off about the girl sitting beside her. Everybody else around the fire had the flame’s lights and shadows dancing across their skin. Everyone except the new girl, who sat there and was empty of all light. Almost as if she was not present. But how is that possible?

The new girl had smiled for a brief moment before she finally looked around to the other campers, who were all staring wide eyed in return,

“I know this because I am Louise Turner. And on this date, my life was taken from me.”

The campfire suddenly went out with a poof after the words from Louise were uttered. The girls screamed when they were suddenly thrust into darkness until someone pulled out their flashlight. The light beam swung around until it landed on the spot where the girl who claimed to be Louise had been sitting, but she was gone!

“Look! On the mountain!” A girl cried and she pointed to the looking mountain. Angie looked to where the girl was pointing and there, far off and way up in the mountain, was a very small speck of orange light that was surrounded by darkness. Angie stared and could feel her heart start to beat into her throat. There was no way that's the candle in the cabin, is it? Smoke was drifting around the frightened girls who were getting off their logs and starting to run back to their sleeping quarters. Angie was still stuck on her log, because even though there was the smell of smoke from their freshly put out fire, Angie swore she could smell something else. A smoke that smelled of old betrayals.