The Shadow

Present Day

Liz

“The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window…” My grandfather trailed off, his eyes glazing over as his memories overtook him. He was uncommonly lucid today, a welcome change in demeanour for a man slowly losing the battle against Alzheimer’s. It had been four years since his diagnosis and little by little, each visit I had with him became more and more about reminding him of who I was and, worse, who he was.

Today was better though. My grandfather had immediately perked up when he saw me, excitedly describing his latest Bridge game victory over, and I quote, “that lying, cheating, no good, son of a bitch Henry Myles.” There was no love lost between the two old men who, unfortunately for them, were neighbours in the Springside Retirement Home where they were also assigned to the same dining table three times daily.

Grandfather’s attitude changed when he saw the faded blue photo album I carried with me. It was old and worn around the corners and, aside from where my hands had touched it, layered with dust. His eyes were wary and though he reached out to take the album from me, I could sense his hesitancy.

“Where did you find this, Liz? I thought I'd lost it years ago.” I watched as he ran his hands over the cover, sending tiny dust particles into the air.

“Mom and I were cleaning out the attic of the farmhouse. Figured you might be interested in looking through it with me…” The look on his face quieted my offer. He was pale, his eyes full of fear. “Grandpa, are you okay? Do you need the nurse?”

“No.” He slowly shook his head. “It’s this book- no, not the book, rather what’s inside of it. The pictures in here…” Grandfather shuddered. “Well, they bring back some terrible memories that I had hoped I would never have to relive. Some are fuzzy and some I can’t seem to make sense of them. It’s all unpleasant.”

Admittedly, I was intrigued. I didn’t want to put him through anything that had obviously affected him so terribly but I couldn’t help myself. “What kind of memories?” I pushed.

Grandfather motioned to the chair next to him. I sat. He opened the photo album and the spine creaked, an eerie reminder of the long held secrets that lay hidden in its pages.

On the first page, written in neat handwriting, read Echo Lake. Summer of 1951. “My ma’s writing.” Grandfather said quietly, answering my unasked question. He slowly traced the letters with his fingers before flipping to the next page. Upon first glance, the four photos glued evenly across the paper seemed innocuous enough: a couple family pictures, a shot of two smiley kids playing on the beach, and the old family cabin. I don’t know if it was the aged conditions of the photos or the fearful vibes I was picking up from my grandfather but on a second look, the photos left me with a heavy feeling of dread. At that moment, I could feel the regret pierce my skin and snake its way along my bones and I know: I should not have taken that album from the attic.

“Grandpa?” I spoke gently, bringing him out of his daze and back to the odd comment about the candle in the window.

My grandfather raised his eyes to meet mine. “It was our third summer at Echo Lake…”

July 1951

Friday

Todd

“You boys better be back in time for supper!” My ma warned as she caught sight of us sneaking out of the cabin. We had just arrived for our third summer at Echo Lake and my brother Will and I were both eager to go for the first swim of the season. After promising to be back to help set the table, Will and I set off with nothing but our swimming trunks on.

We followed the same trail through the woods that we had gotten to know pretty dang good over the last two summers. The trail wound its way through rolling hills surrounded in looming pine trees and dense brush so thick that wandering off the trail was a death wish. I ain’t a scaredy cat but Pa had sat us down that first summer and scared us somethin’ terrible with stories of boys just like us getting lost in these woods. We never ventured off of that trail and we never went anywhere alone.

We took a left at Three Rock Corner and made our way past the abandoned old cabin. I don’t know why but my feet always moved a bit quicker as we passed it. Seems a creepy old shack like that shoulda been far too tempting to pass up on exploring, especially for boys like us, but I never even thought about goin’ inside.

We spent the next few hours in the water, swimming to and from the dock that floated about thirty yards from the beach. Will was doing his best to help me perfect my dive and I was pretty sure I almost got it down. It wasn’t until the sun began to set that we realised we were not going to make it back like we promised.

“Ma is gonna be real mad with us…” I warned, my stomach in knots thinking of the lickin’ waiting for us back at the campsite.

Will shrugged his shoulders, “Ah well, whaddaya do? I’ll tell ma it’s my fault. Least you almost got your divin’ down pat. We’ll practise some more tomorrow.”

I watched my older brother from the corner of my eye and felt a spark of admiration for him. He was always so dang brave. Did he ever worry about a lickin’ from pa? Never seemed to. Always took ‘em in stride. I wanted to be more like him.

We rounded the corner and began the trek back to our campsite. I was deep in thought, thinkin’ about all the ways I could be braver that I didn’t notice Will had stopped in his tracks and I walked smack into his back.

“The heck, Will? What’s goin…” I trailed off when I realised we had reached that old cabin. The one we never stopped at, never even talked about. “Will?” He said nothing in return, instead pointing to the single small window facing us. A candle flickered on the sill. Had there always been a window there? I know there was no candle. I s’pose I had always avoided looking at the cabin but… somethin’ was different. I could feel it.

“We need to go inside.” Will said. ‘Cept, it wasn’t Will. Or, it didn’t sound like him, anyways. He was fourteen and his voice was always cracking. Ma said it’s normal for a boy his age but I still liked to tease him ‘bout it. But now his voice was deeper and real serious, like a grown man’s.

“Are you crazy? It’s…it’s not our cabin. That’s trespassin’, Will! We’ll get in trouble.” So much for being brave.

Will ignored me and strolled up the steps of the porch, stepping over the broken floor board as if he’d done it a million times. His hand reached for the door knob.

The candle went out.

Will’s hand shot away and he spun around frantically, a bewildered look in his eyes. “Todd?”

I was relieved to hear his voice crack.

Later that night, after narrowly escaping a lickin’ from pa for being late, Will and I laid side by side in bed. I was trying to find the balls to talk ‘bout the candle. I was stuck between wantin’ to pretend it never happened and needin’ to know what exactly it was that had happened

“Will?” Curiosity won.

He was silent long enough that I thought maybe he’d fallen asleep.

“Will?” I pushed again.

“I don’t know, Todd. I don’t know what happened back there. I can’t remember.” His voice was strained. Panicked. “All I know is one minute there was a candle lit in the window and the next, I was up on the deck.”

I pulled the blanket up to my chin. “Let’s find a different trail to the lake. I don’t want to go past…there…anymore.”

Will said nothing. Another twenty minutes passed before I drifted off to sleep.

A shadow passed by the window.

The candle in the old, abandoned cabin flickered to life once again.

Will

I could hear Todd’s breathing, slow and steady. He had fallen asleep quickly and I was happy for it. I could tell he was afraid of what happened at that old cabin earlier. I wish I could make him feel better. I’m his big brother, three whole years older than him. I should know how to look out for him but I can’t seem to shake my own fear.

A shadow passes by the window.

"William." It was a mere whisper. The voice was deep, that of a grown man. Where had I heard it before?

Tap. Tap. Tap. Long skeletal fingers appear, casting shadows across the room.

The fingers coil and flex and long sharp fingernails scratch against the window, like ol’ Ms. Hubert does against the chalkboard in class when we aren’t listenin’.

"William." The voice gently grazes my ears, raising the hairs on my neck. Should I be afraid? I don’t feel afraid. I know I’ve heard that voice before. I can feel myself slipping away into nothingness, an emptiness where I exist in body only.

"Follow me." It’s an order but the voice is so soothing that I don’t care. It was the same voice that I heard beckoning me into the cabin earlier. There’s nothing to be afraid of.

The shadow passed again and I knew what I had to do.

I’m suddenly outside with no memory of leaving my bed.

Through the thick forest, I see a candle flicker to life.

July 1951

Saturday

Todd

Will was gone.

His spot next to me was empty when I awoke and cold to the touch. I could tell he’d been gone for a while. I figured maybe he got up early to go fishin’ but, no, he’d never go without me. I thought maybe he was up helpin’ pa chop firewood or maybe was tryin’ to make amends with ma for us comin’ home late the night before but when I asked, they shared a look with each other and I could tell they were confused and a little scared. I was a lot scared.

Pa rushed around the cabin, pullin’ on his boots and hushin’ ma. He was worried but he didn’t want her to know. It would only make it worse. “Darlin’, he likely just went for an early swim down to the lake. Always was an early riser, that boy.”

I knew he was lyin’ to her but I nodded in agreement anyways. “We were gonna look for a new trail down to the beach today. Maybe he couldn’t sleep and got an early start on that.” I did my best to relax my shoulders and smile. “Yeah, ma, I bet that’s what he’s doin’.”

Pa and I left the cabin and once we were out of sight, he stopped me and patted me on the back. “That was some quick thinkin’ you did, Todd. You sure put your mama at ease.”

Pride exploded in my chest and I gave him the same clipped nod I’d seen him do himself. “Thanks, Pa. We really were plannin’ on findin’ a new trail though. I just don’t think Will woulda gone off by himself like this.”

Pa glanced at me sideways. “What’s wrong with the trail ya’ll been taking?”

I shrugged. “That old, abandoned cabin down the way… it just kinda gives me the creeps. There was a candle in the window…” I trailed off. I didn’t want him to think me a chicken. “It’s nothing, pa.”

“A candle? Was it lit?” Pa’s voice was strained.

“Yeah! Hey, how’d you know that?”

Pa swung me around by shoulders and knelt so our eyes were level. “What happened then? Did you feel anything? Did you hear a voice?”

“What? No! ‘Course not!” I paused for a second, long enough for pa to know I wasn’t telling him everything.

“Todd, it’s real important you tell me everything that happened.”

“It was Will. It was like he was in a trance or somethin’. Walked right up to the porch, ignoring me the whole time. Looked like he was about to go in, too! Then the candle went out and he was back to normal.” I felt bad for tattlin’ on Will but why’d he have to go off on his own like this?

Pa swore. “I’d heard stories but damn, I thought that’s all they were.”

“Stories? About the candle? Pa?”

“From the locals. That cabin was built on an old graveyard, as the story goes. One of the graves belongs to Tobias Carmine, the so-called Echoside Shadow serial killer. Responsible for the deaths of about 26 people. He was hanged for his crimes and buried in the middle of the forest, where he’d spend eternity alone.” Pa shook his head. “I’ve been hearin’ about Tobias since I was a boy. It’s a dang good story to spook kids with ‘round the campfire. I thought that’s all it was. Then, about a hundred years ago, that cabin was built by a family and Tobias was no longer alone. The family was the Linton’s. Man and his wife, two boys. Just like us, Todd. Story goes that one night, Mr. Linton snapped. He went crazy and killed his wife and boys. He was hanged for it.” Pa ran his hand over his face. “About fifteen years after that, a man named Louis Carlyle bought the place. Only lived there about a year before he was found hangin’ inside. The last residents were two sisters, Diane and Marie Mason. A month after moving in, they disappeared completely. Nobody knows what happened to them. It’s been empty for the last 60 years but whenever a lit candle appears in the window, it's believed that Tobis is hunting for his next victim, using the candle to draw them in.”

“So, that old cabin is haunted! I knew it, Pa. I could feel it!”

“Something definitely haunts that place, Todd, but it’s not human. Not anymore. And I’m afraid it’s got Will.”

Will

I followed the Shadow into the darkness of the forest. I feel nothing. The chilly bite of mountain air goes unnoticed against my skin, my bare feet feel no sting from the sharp rocks and roots of the trail. I do not feel the tree branch that slices into my arm or the warm blood that spills out. All that matters is the Voice.

"William. Come." Smooth, like silk. Patient, no need to rush. Comforting, no reason to be afraid. I feel nothing but trust.

I could see the glow of the candle in the windowsill and knew I would soon be where I needed to be. Where the Shadow and the Voice needed me to be.

I’m standing in the same spot as I did yesterday. I reach for the doorknob. This time the candle remains lit.

I’m inside.

"William. Welcome, William."

I liked that it calls me William. I wasn’t Will anymore, anyways.

"William. Welcome, William. You have done me a great service. I have been waiting for you for so long. Waiting for someone to make the greatest sacrifice in my honour."

The Shadow was the Voice, coming together as one inside the cabin. The Voice, once hushed and tired now boomed, having gained power as though the cabin offered an energy it could not get elsewhere.

"I have been a mere shadow for well over a century, William. Watching and waiting for the right person. Are you the right person, William? I would have had you yesterday if not for your brother."

I say nothing. I can no longer speak. I can no longer move. I am merely a vessel now.

There was laughter, from the Shadow, I assumed. I’ve begun to lose all focus. A noise sounded against the wall to my left and the shadow appeared next to me, tilting its head slowly from side to side as it studied me.

I was losing more and more of myself and yet, I could smell it. I could smell the Shadow. The putrid stench of decomposition. Had I ever smelled death before? I couldn’t remember but I recognized the scent anyway. The scent of all of the lives it had stolen.

To my right, a rope creaked as a man appeared, slowly swinging back and forth from the ceiling by his neck, the toes of his boots almost grazing the floor. Almost.

"Louis Carlyle" the Shadow whispered.

Across the room, two young boys appear propped against the wall. Their eyes empty, devoid of any life, their mutilated throats exhibiting their untimely deaths. A woman I know immediately to be their mother appears laid across the floor in front of them and while she is face down with her injuries hidden, I can feel the brutality of her final moments as though they were my own. No, I feel it as though I was the one responsible.

"Margaret, James, and John Linton", the Shadow purrs. "What a shame…"

I am almost completely devoid of emotion and yet, I feel my heart racing. The Shadow is not smooth or patient or comforting. It is evil and I am its captive.

My surroundings change and I am not in the main room anymore but in the root cellar below. My heart beats so hard I feel it in my ears.

"Last but certainly not least, Diane and Marie." The Shadow gloats over his last victims, the sisters and last residents of the cabin. Both in nightgowns and slippers, the sisters are hung from the cellar walls, shackled around the wrists. Their eyes are missing, black holes of nothingness stare back at me before they fade away and I’m back in the main room.

"I have been trying for over a century to find a vessel that could support me. I feared for so long that I would live in spirit only, never to relish in the power that comes from being in physical form again. I was once a man, William, and I never hesitated to take what I wanted; lives, souls, the last breath of a healthy human. I was responsible for the deaths of so many beings." The Shadow growled in anger. "Of course, that power was stripped from me and I was left to rot in my grave. Until this place came to be and I was risen from death." Laughter. "I am the evil that caused Mr. Linton to murder his family, the evil that hung Louis Carlyle from the rafters. I am the evil that murdered the Mason sisters. Now I am the evil that has fooled a strong, young man into allowing me to possess him. Do you feel it yet? The loss of control? You are no longer you. You are no longer YOU!"

I cannot fight it. The change happens quickly and though I am still inside, I am still here, I am no match for the Shadow. It becomes me and I am lost. I scream and I cry but it is of no use. The Shadow has possessed me completely.

Todd

Pa and I race to the old cabin. I’m not sure what we’re gonna do when we get there but I figure Pa will have figured somethin’ out. He always knows what to do.

We are only ten yards away from the cabin when the front door flies opens and Will stumbles out and races down the porch steps.

“Will!” Pa and I call out together.

“Pa! Todd!” Will’s face is flushed and his breathing is deep.

“What in the hell were you thinkin’ goin’ in there?” I can tell Pa is fightin’ mad and if Will doesn’t end up with a mean lickin’ tonight, I’ll be surprised.

“Ah, I know, Pa. I was just curious is all. Thought I’d get up early and check it out before anyone else woke up.” Will pointed at the door. “Damn door knob stuck and I couldn’t get out. Windows wouldn’t budge either.”

I can see the relief flooding Pa’s face but I’m not entirely convinced. I know Will better than anyone and I know he’d never sneak off like that.

“Well, c’mon then. Your mama will be worryin’ herself sick.” Pa led the way back through the forest with Will close behind. I trailed behind slowly, studying Will as I went.

“Hey, how’d ya get that?” I ask, noticing a deep gash on his right forearm.

Will pauses mid step and turns slowly to meet my eyes. “Ah, it’s nothing. Just a scratch from a tree.”

I watch as he turns and continues up the trail without another look back. I don’t know what happened in that cabin but I do know one thing: that is not my brother.

Present Day

Liz

I watch as my grandfather closes the photo album and shakes his head. “It’s a crazy story and maybe I’m just not remembering it correctly anymore. My mind isn’t what it once was.”

“What happened after that? What happened to Will?” I’m eager for answers, for an end to this story.

“Oh, I think I just had an overactive imagination back then. I was just a boy. The rest of the summer was fine. Took a couple days and Will was back to normal. These pictures just bring back that feeling of truly believing in something evil. Even my pa believed it for a minute.”

I don’t want to keep pushing him but something isn’t sitting right with me about the story. Young Todd was convinced Will wasn’t Will anymore. What changed?

“What happened after that summer?” I asked, unable to resist one last question.

“Well, Will passed away shortly before Christmas that year. Broke his neck while hiking. Fell down a gorge. Awful, awful stuff. Ma was never the same.”

“Oh, my god. Grandpa, I had no idea.”

“Yes, well. Such is life.”

Grandpa’s eyes glazed over again and I could sense that our visit was over. I felt fortunate that we had such a long visit without any complications of his Alzheimer's intervening.

I said my goodbyes, tucked the photo album under my arm, and headed home.

Later that night, I was drawn to the photo album again. Something about Grandpa’s story still wasn’t making sense to me. Of course, it was seventy years ago and he had Alzheimer’s but something still nagged at me.

I flipped through the photos, studying the faces of my great-grandparents, my grandfather and his brother. Photos of the family swimming, picnicking together, and hiking through the same trail my grandfather had recounted such horrors. Everything looked as it should. Perhaps I was reading too much into it. I had always loved a scary story.

Then something caught my eye. In a photo of my grandfather standing by the lake, a white bandage wrapped around his right arm peeked out from behind his back, as though he was trying to keep it hidden from view of the camera. I flipped to another page and again, his right arm was tucked behind his back, allowing only a small glance at a bandage wrapped around his arm. I flipped to another page, and another, and another until I had studied each photo. Without fail, every photo featuring my grandfather was of him in the same position: right arm hidden from view as best as possible. I studied Will and found no cuts or scrapes and certainly no bandages, with both arms in full view of the camera.

My heart pounded. It couldn’t be, could it? It was Will that sliced his arm open, wasn’t it? Why would grandpa lie about that? A thought occurred to me and I raced to the pile of photo albums we had cleaned from the attic earlier that day. I poured through one after the other until finally, a shot of grandpa with both arms exposed, elbows resting on the table in the kitchen of the house I grew up in.

A jagged, puckered pink scar ran lengthwise along his right forearm.

Shadow

"Foolish kid and all of her mindless questions. If not for this failing vessel, I would have taken care of her too, the same way I did the brother all those years ago. All the questions about what happened to me in the cabin and all of the suspicion he laid upon me. He just could not let it go. I had no choice but to rid myself of him and his incessant questions. And what a life I did live after his death! No one was ever suspicious of eleven year old Todd and of course, no one could ever guess that Todd was no longer Todd. I played the part so well, even marrying and procreating when it was expected!

I was Tobias Carmine once again, taking the lives of whoever I chose. Decades of murder commited in a body I stole! What a thrill! Alas, my time in this vessel is coming to an end as both body and mind are failing. The disease that has slowly taken control of this mind has turned us into nothing more than a blubbering, forgetful idiot. I am not the powerful entity I once was while residing in this form. I can feel myself slowly losing control of it more and more and with that, Todd is coming back to power. Thankfully, his mind is so muddled that he doesn’t seem to remember the power I’ve held over him. Nobody would believe him anyways. Now is the time. It is time to leave this dying body in pursuit of another…"

Liz

I turned in early that night, exhausted and confused about the day’s events. I drift off to sleep slowly…

A shadow passes by her window...

A long, skeletal finger appears. Tap...tap...tap...

"Elizabeth," the Shadow whispers. "Come."

Meanwhile, a candle flickered in the windowsill of an old, abandoned cabin in the woods of Echo Lake.