Secret of the Flame

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. Jeffrey looked at the flickering light for a total of five heartbeats before fear gripped his spine and he turned down the trail and ran as fast as his ten-year-old legs could carry him. Spicer, his two-year-old Australian shepherd, gave a gruff bark at the abruptness of his change of direction and easily fell into step behind him.

Jeffrey tore through the woods that stretched out behind his family’s property, running in the direction that he knew was home. Countless times he had been trekking through the woods with his father and Spicer. Usually, it was just the three of them but sometimes his Uncle Albert or his Dad’s best friend Martin would join them. Spicer had grown up in the woods just like Jeffrey had and probably knew the way back home better than he did, especially in the waning light of sunset.

When he got to the bush that grew out of the split boulder Jeffrey slowed down to get his breathing under control. He rested his back against the large rock and closed his eyes as he felt his heart pound in his chest. Spicer nuzzled his right hand and Jeffrey scratched the dog’s neck in his favorite spot.

“I don’t know what that was boy, but I’m pretty sure we’re ok.” said Jeffrey, between breaths.

Spicer nuzzled him a little harder and Jeffrey took a deep breath before stepping away from the boulder. He glanced down the path they had just run through and shuddered a little bit before heading home. With as far as he and Spicer had run, it only took him another fifteen minutes of hiking down the familiar trail before he could see his neighborhood in the distance. His family lived in one of those cul de sacs that just had the houses in a circle and seemed to share one massive yard. There were no fences separating the homes.

Seeing the two-story home where he had lived his whole life getting closer with each step, Jeffrey smiled and almost felt like nothing terrifying had happened. He started jogging and Spicer picked up the pace beside him, tongue lolling in a happy doggy grin. The blue Ford pickup in the driveway told him his father was back from work and Jeffrey was excited to see him. His dad was the one who had told him to steer clear of the abandoned cabin in the first place.

‘I’ll tell him what I saw, and tell him we ran away. I’m sure he’ll be proud of me for staying safe.’

A few steps from his backdoor a gust of cold wind hit him in the back and sent a chill down his spine. His steps faltered a bit and then he heard the voice.

Jeffrey…

It sounded like someone distant was calling his name.

Jeffrey…

He slowly turned around and faced the woods. There was no way to know for sure but he would bet all of his birthday money that he was currently facing the cabin. In his mind, he could almost see the candle flickering in the wind.

Come back…

A hand grabbed his shoulder and Jeffrey nearly leaped out of his shoes and spun around to see his dad smiling down at him. His short-cropped salt and pepper hair matched his goatee. The slight wrinkles on his sun-weathered face only made his light brown eyes stand out. Spicer gave a happy bark and started wagging his rump, not having too much of a tail to show for it but still putting in the effort nonetheless.

“Hey, Jiffy. Looks like I scared you. Everything okay?” said his dad, still with the smile on his face and his eyes shining with mirth.

“Yeah, I just thought I heard someone calling my name back that way.” said Jeffrey, pointing towards the woods.

His father’s face instantly lost its smile and a look of quiet concern came over his features. The kind of concern that his parents wore when something was wrong but they did not want to worry Jeffrey too much with it.

“Did you see anyone while you were out there?” asked his dad.

Jeffrey shook his head, “No, I didn’t see no one. But me and Spicer hiked all the way to the cabin and we saw a light in the window.”

There was a moment of heavy silence and his dad spoke to him in a quiet but stern voice, “Go inside my boy, I’m sure your mom could use some help getting dinner ready.”

Jeffrey wasn’t sure but he felt like something very serious was going on and simply nodded before going into the house. His mother had her long, blond hair tied up in a bun and was at the stove stirring a pot that had the mashed potatoes in it. He knew because he had to peel those potatoes before he had been allowed to go outside this afternoon. The kitchen smelled of butter, oil, roasted meat, and…

“Bacon?!” exclaimed Jeffrey.

“Yes, bacon. It’s the only way to get you to eat your brussels so you better eat them.” said his mother without looking back at him.

“I’ll eat anything if you cook it with bacon.” said Jeffrey with a smile as he took his shoes off and left them by the back door. Then he walked to the kitchen sink to wash his hands.

“I know. One day it’s a habit I hope to break but right now? I just want you to eat your veggies.” she said, looking at him this time. Her blue eyes were startling and reflected Jeffrey’s own. Hair and eyes he had gotten from his mother, and he had his father’s smaller nose and square jaw. His parents liked to joke and say he would be a ladykiller one day and Jeffrey always shot back that he would never even hurt a lady, much less kill one.

“After you wash your hands, set the table and get the brussels out of the oven. Where did your father go? I thought I heard him step outside.” said his mother.

Jeffrey turned off the faucet and dried his hands, “He did…” He then told his mother what happened at the cabin and when he got home. She looked at him with concern in her eyes and turned the fire off the stovetop. In three steps she crossed the distance between them and kneeled down and hugged him.

“My baby, are you okay?” she asked.

Jeffrey nodded but he clung tightly to her. “I think it might have just been the wind…”

His mom kissed him on the forehead, “I’m sure it was. I’m guessing your dad went to go look back the way you came. Spicer didn’t come with you I see.”

Jeffrey had not even noticed that Spicer didn’t enter the house with him. It made sense, never go into the woods alone if you don’t have to. Spicer would alert his dad of any dangers well before anything got too close.

“What do we do?” asked Jeffrey.

“What do we do? I already told you to set the table and get the brussels out. You know your dad. He won’t be long.” said his mom with a smile. She ruffled his hair the way he hated it and he playfully pushed her hand away. Another kiss on the forehead and then his mom stood up.

“Your dad just got home from work and I’m sure he’ll have an appetite after a little hike so let’s get dinner ready.” she said as she opened the oven.

The delicious smell of roast pork, carrots, and turnips filled the kitchen and Jeffrey could feel his mouth start to water. He had not eaten anything since lunch and was practically starving. As his mom was moving the roast out of the oven and unto the table, Jeffrey grabbed his own personal oven mitts that he had gotten for Christmas one year. They were dark blue with a cool fire design sewn into them that his mother had made for him. As he put his oven mitts on he noticed a long gash down his left arm and he frowned at it. It looked like a cut from running into a branch or something but he did not remember running into any plants while he was out. Well wherever it had came from it didn’t hurt at the moment so he didn’t worry about it and went to the oven to get the sprouts.

Jeffrey set the pan of sprouts and bacon, which still smelled divine despite the little green balls of hatred that lay strewn about the foil-covered pan, on the table next to the roast. He went and got three plates and silverware for himself and his parents. After setting the table Jeffrey checked Spicer’s dinner bowl and saw that it was empty. Thinking that Spicer will also want food, even though he’ll spend the entire dinner looking at everyone with sorrowful eyes, Jeffrey filled up his food bowl. The last thing left was the glasses, which he set while his mom cleaned up what she could.

“I’m really thirsty...” said Jeffrey under his breath. His mom was close enough to hear him however.

“Well I bet you are. You haven’t had anything to drink since you’ve been home. Get some water.” she said.

Jeffrey got some ice cold water from the pitcher in the fridge and drank a full cup down. The water felt cool and refreshing going down but, when he was done, he still felt like he needed more. As he went to pour himself another glass, the back door opened and his father walked in with Spicer on his heels. He was wearing his orange ball cap and was carrying his old shotgun that he kept locked in the shed in the back. Placing the shotgun by the door and bending down to take his shoes off, his dad shot him a grin as he undid his boot laces.

“Well, guess you were just spooked. Are you sure you heard a voice?” asked his dad.

Jeffrey thought about it and then shrugged sheepishly, “It could have just been the wind.”

His dad nodded, “I saw no recent tracks other than you and Spicer leaving and coming home.”

A flood of relief came over Jeffrey, “That’s good. I’m sorry you had to go in the woods for nothing.”

His dad stood up and walked patting Jeffrey on his head, “Hey, keeping you and your mom safe isn’t nothing. I would rather it be nothing than for someone to be following you through the woods.”

“Your safety is what’s important. Make sure if you see or hear anything that spooks you, you tell us.” chimed in his mom.

Jeffrey….Come back, Jeffrey

Jeffrey swallowed and ignored the voice that was not there. He put on a smile for his parents and nodded, “I will.”

The three of them sat down to eat. Jeffrey’s dad told them about work and how his foreman was pissing everyone off. Not a word that Jeffrey could repeat but it was one that his dad used pretty often when talking about work or taxes. His mom talked about a problem his aunt was having with her back. Apparently, the last surgery did not relieve the pain and she was scheduled to go back to the doctor for another consultation to see what they needed to do moving forward.

Hearing about his aunt reminded Jeffrey of his cousins. Hopefully, they would be able to come to visit at least once before the summer break was over, but if Aunt Ava was still having back pains then the likelihood of that happening was very slim. His older cousin Shauna and younger cousin James were a lot of fun for kids who lived in the city. They didn’t mind running through the woods and catching frogs and dragonflies at the pond.

Jeffrey!

This time the sharpness of the voice startled him and he dropped his fork. Jeffrey reached down to pick it up and felt something latch onto his right shoulder and pull on him. He yelled in surprise as he was pulled out of his chair and landed hard on the kitchen floor. When he hit the ground his vision flashed and the floor of the kitchen looked like the leaf strewn ground of the woods. Jeffrey could hear distant voices and his feet hurt for some reason. As quickly as it happened he was back on his kitchen floor and Spicer was licking his face.

“Jeff! Are you okay?” asked his mom. His dad got to him first and helped Jeffrey sit up.

“What happened?” his dad asked him.

“I…I don’t know. I dropped my fork and fell trying to get it.” he said, still a little disoriented. He could still feel the pressure of the hand that had grabbed onto his shoulder. The smell of nature still lingered in his nostrils but his feet did not hurt anymore.

“Well, as long as you didn’t hurt anything on the way down. Let’s finish dinner and get you to bed. It seems like you could use some sleep.” said his dad, patting him on the back and standing up.

Jeffrey nodded as he retrieved his fork and went back to his meal. His parents continued their conversation but Jeffrey was not paying attention anymore. The delicious food tasted like nothing in his mouth and for some reason, he was very thirsty. During the course of dinner, he must have drunk at least three full glasses of water but no matter how much he drank, he just felt very parched. After dinner was done and he and his dad helped his mom clean up, Jeffrey went up to his room to get some sleep. Tomorrow he was supposed to meet with Brian, Susan, and Lacey to go swimming at Susan’s house.

Falling into his bedtime routine helped get the strange events of the day out of his head. While he was getting his pajamas on, however, Jeffrey noticed that he had a few more long scratches and scraps on his arms. They definitely had not been there before and he did not get them from falling at the dinner table.

Jeffrey….

He shuddered and ignored the voice again and just went to his bed. At the end of the day, he just wanted it to be over. Jeffrey lay in his bed and his parents came in the wish him good night.

“We love you Jeffrey.” said his mom.

“Feel better in the morning. Maybe after you play with your friends we can go fishing.” said his dad.

Jeffrey perked up a bit, “You’re off tomorrow?”

His dad smiled, “Yeah, I wanted it to be a surprise so…surprise. Mom told me you’re hanging out with your friends but afterward, we can all go down to the pond and have a picnic and maybe catch some dinner.”

Jeffrey was very excited about this news, “Yeah! Let’s do that. Alright, going to sleep now.”

His parents chuckled and wished him a good night as they left the room. When the door closed the darkness that fell over his room seemed deeper than usual. It had been a long time since he needed a night light to go to sleep but on this night he kind of wished he still had one. Jeffrey looked at the wall next to his closet but did not see anything out of the ordinary. As his eyes swung back to the door his vision flashed and he saw a figure rushing toward him. Behind the figure was not his door, or even his bedroom. There were trees like in the woods surrounding the cabin.

Come here JEFFREY!

Jeffrey yelled in fright and threw his hands up in alarm. His back slammed into the wall by his bed and he realized that he had scooted quickly back out of fear. Not even three heartbeats later and his parents were back in his room and the lights were turned on. Jeffrey looked around frantically but did not see anyone else in the room. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest and his breathing was rapid as if he had just been running.

“Are you okay? What happened?” asked his mom.

“I….I….thought I saw someone in the room when you turned the lights off.” said Jeffrey, trying to get his breathing under control.

His dad was already looking around the room, moving the curtains aside and checking underneath Jeffrey’s bed and inside the closet. No one else was in the room with them.

“Was it a nightmare?” asked his mom.

“I don’t think I was asleep yet, but…maybe. I think I just need to go to bed. The candle in the cabin really spooked me. I just want today to be over.” said Jeffrey.

His dad stopped by Jeffrey’s bed, “Probably for the best. Try and get some sleep. Do you want to come to sleep in the room with us?”

Jeffrey shook his head, “It was just a shadow, I’m not a baby you know.”

His dad smiled and ruffled his hair the way he hated it, “I know, my boy. Get some sleep. I’ll get the fishing gear ready for us tomorrow.”

“And I’ll cut up the rest of the roast for sandwiches.” said his mom.

Jeffrey smiled at them again as he laid down and they left the room. His parents lingered in the doorway before turning off the light and leaving again. As the light went out he looked at the corner where the shadow had rushed at him before and saw nothing. Sighing to himself he rolled over to go to sleep.

Jeffrey….we….you…

He ignored the voice and drifted off to sleep. His dreams were filled with running through the woods and disembodied voices calling out to him. The voices were growing more and more frantic and he woke up more than once at the feeling of someone or something grabbing him in his sleep. Jeffrey did his best not to yell when he woke up because he did not want to worry his mom and dad any more than he already had. Finally, the sun rose on the next day and Jeffrey left his bed.

It was such an odd feeling when he went down to the kitchen to get some water. His throat felt like a desert and he had woken up feeling exhausted. Three more cuts had appeared on his leg and there was bruising on his arms. But, like the strange marks that appeared on him last night, none of them hurt so he just continued to ignore them. After drinking two full cups of water he heard his parents waking up. Everyone exchanged good mornings and Jeffrey poured himself a bowl of Corn Pops, his favorite, and started eating. Spicer waged his rump over and nuzzled against his knee and Jeffrey reached down and patted him on the head.

He looked at the corner by the back door and saw that the shotgun was gone but had been replaced by the family’s fishing gear. Each of them had their own rods and, even though his mom didn’t like it as much as they did she still did fish with them on occasion. Finishing his breakfast and looking forward to this afternoon, Jeffrey bade his parents farewell and walked across the cul de sac towards Susan’s house. Even though it was only ten in the morning, the sun blazed and the kitchen clock said that the temperature was already at ninety-eight degrees. Perfect swimming weather despite it being so early.

Found you!

He heard the voice a split second before something hit him hard in the back and knocked him down in the middle of the street. A presence was on him and trying to grab his arms as he yelled and screamed. Looking from left to right he could see shadows appearing, disappearing, and reappearing but quickly making their way toward him.

Jeffrey screamed and fought off whatever was on his back. A wildly thrown elbow caught the shadow and knocked it off of him, giving him enough time to scramble to his feet.

Jeffrey! FOUND YOU!

Jeffrey ran. At first, he started running back toward his home but after the first few steps, he could see more shadows appearing around his house. He turned in his run and plunged into the woods. Moments later he heard a bark and glanced down to see that Spicer was running beside him. They sprinted past the split boulder and before he realized it Jeffrey stood in the same spot that he had yesterday. Staring through the sparse woods at the abandoned cabin and the candle flickering in the window.

Jeffrey….come back….

The voice was strangely distant even though he was right next to the cabin. Spicer let out a little whine but followed obediently as Jeffrey started walking forward. His breathing was ragged at this point and his throat felt like it had not tasted water in days. Also strangely his feet were hurting and throbbing and the pain intensified with every step that he took toward the cabin.

Jeffrey!

The door was before him. The scratches on his arms began to burn and itch fiercely.

Where are you!?

He pushed the door open.

Stop running!

It swung open on silent hinges.

Please come back home…

Jeffrey walked into the cabin and the door slammed behind him. Spicer whined but stayed close to his side as Jeffrey slowly shambled toward the candle sitting on a table by the window.

They really love you…They spent many hours looking for you. Such a loving family. Such wonderful friends you have.

The voice this time was different than the one that had been calling to him earlier. Low pitched and sickly sweet, it sounded like an old woman’s voice. Jeffrey felt a wave of exhaustion come over him and he slumped down to his knees. His throat was bone dry and it was getting painful to take deep breaths.

They almost had you back there. I couldn’t let them take you from me though. I need you, Jeffrey.

Jeffrey looked down at his feet and saw that he was barefoot. His feet were a ruined mess, large gashes and cuts adorned them. Looking at them caused the pain that had been in the background to rush in and overwhelm him. He gasped as he fell to the cabin floor.

At least I gave you one last night with your family. They seem like lovely people. One last vision of the wonderful life you had. Isn’t that nice of me?

A deep cold set into his bones and Jeffrey gasped as his body curled around itself. Spicer circled him, whining and whimpering. Repeatedly he nudged Jeffrey as if trying to urge the boy to his feet. Jeffrey had no strength left in his body to even move. He lay shivering on the cabin floor and even the pain from his ruined feet receded.

“W……why?” was the only question he could get past his chattering teeth.

We all need to eat don’t we Jeffrey? The more powerful the emotions, the more delectable the meal is. I’ve learned that the more feelings you can rile up in people causes my food to taste better and it keeps me full longer. Isn’t that wonderful?

He heard distant voices outside of the cabin. From where he lay on the floor he could see beams of lights from multiple flashlights shining through the window. Spicer started barking.

So close. They almost had you but in the end, it was all for naught. You were under my spell the moment you laid eyes on the candle. You ran from your family for hours. You must be parched. I’ve never had a young man able to evade being caught for so long. You did an excellent job, my boy. They were so so close. But that’s what makes it all the sweeter in the end.

Jeffrey could feel his eyes growing heavy and his breathing became extremely labored. His senses told him that someone was now in the cabin with him, standing over by the table the candle sat on. He was too tired and hurt to turn his head to look at them, however. The voices outside grew closer and he realized that they were the voices he had been hearing throughout the day and night.

“Jeffrey! Where are you?!” called his neighbor.

“Jeffrey come back!” yelled Susan.

“JEFFREY, PLEASE COME HOME!” That anguished voice was his mother’s.

Such exquisite terror. Delicious sadness. You were loved. Oh yes, you were loved.

Jeffrey tried to muster the energy to call out to his loved ones but he could not. He felt his breathing begin to slow and his vision grew darker. Spicer was scrabbling at the door, barking for all he was worth.

The sadness of your passing will keep me well-fed for many years. At least you will pass from the world knowing that I will not have to eat again for a long while. Thank you, Jeffrey.

The cabin door was flung open and lights flooded the tiny interior. The light from the candle shuddered violently and blew out. Jeffrey saw the silhouette of his father rushing toward him just as he let out his last breath. As the darkness rushed up to claim him the last thing he heard was the throat-wrenching wail that tore from his mother’s throat.