The Widow

“The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window.”

“I’ve heard that story a thousand times. Why are we out here?” I asked as I flipped my marshmallow over. The fire crackled as it toasted the white side of my marshmallow. “You can’t possibly have brought me to the middle of nowhere just so you could tell me that old ghost story again.”

“I found the widow’s cabin, and I think it’ll be a great opportunity for us to finally grow our channel,” Josh explained.

I wrinkled my nose. “That’s an urban legend. There is no widow. I told you that I’m done with TikTok. Besides, I don’t want to be known as the ‘ghost girl’ just because I can see them sometimes.”

“Come on, Izzy. I promise if we don’t go viral, I’ll stop,” Josh whined. “Don’t you at least want to see it? It is your favorite ghost story.”

As much as I hated to admit it, Josh was right. I had always loved the story about the widow. I thought it was more romantic and sadder than it was creepy. “This is the last one,” I said, hoping that my tone conveyed that I was serious. Unlike Josh, I didn’t care about internet fame or money. I didn’t want to be known for my unusual ‘gift’, but I loved Josh and knew this was what he wanted. I also knew it wouldn’t be the last time he asked me. His promise meant nothing. “This is the last time,” I said.

A smile broke out across his face. “You’ll love what I have planned for you,” he said.

Before I could react, he grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet, almost causing me to lose my marshmallow. “We’re going now?” I asked.

“What better time than in the dead of night?” he asked. Something about the way he said it sent a chill down my spine.

My foot caught on a branch as he pulled me along, tripping me. His smile faded when he stopped to help me. “You need to be more careful,” he snapped as he pulled me to my feet.

I knew it was best not to respond, so I remained silent as we pushed towards the cabin. It wasn’t long before we found it. The cabin looked different from what I’d imagined, but I felt it was the same one I’d grown up hearing ghost stories about. The cabin was beautiful, despite its age. It looked to be well kept.

“Here, hold this,” Josh said, thrusting his phone in my direction. “I think I need to tell the story before we film the inside.”

I frowned as I watched him tell the story of the widow who’d died of grief a month after her husband had passed away. He included the old rumor that she had been a physic whose energy embodied the cabin. He told the old ghost story that claimed the widow would show you your future if you happened upon her in the cabin.

I’d grown up hearing the old ghost story, and I loved it. It was romantic, and I longed to find a relationship where I could love someone as much as the widow loved her husband. Hearing Josh recap the story repulsed me, but it didn’t take any excitement away from seeing the cabin for the first time.

As soon as he was finished, I pushed the door open. There was a long creaking noise, letting me know the door hadn’t been opened in some time. The door seemed to kick up a thick layer of dust as it swung open, revealing a fireplace, a dusty sofa, and a set of chains that appeared to be embedded into the wall. “Do you think someone was held captive here?” I asked.

Josh pointed his phone toward the chains. “It looks that way,” he said as he scanned the chains with his phone. “Maybe the story wasn’t as romantic as we thought.”

“Even if someone was held captive here, why in the living room? Someone could have easily heard their cries. I think someone got here before us and did this for a video,” I said.

“That sounds like a good idea. Izzy, let’s get a shot of you chained to the wall. We can say a ghost did it,” he said.

“No, I might get stuck,” I said.

A darkness fell over Josh’s face. “Way to support me,” he said, pushing me towards the chains. “I’d do it for you.”

I felt something warm and wet under my nose and realized I was bleeding. I didn’t get nosebleeds often. In fact, the last time I’d gotten one was when Josh slapped me after I’d refused to eat the dinner, he’d cooked me. The dinner contained meat, and I was a vegan, which was something he’d never liked about me. I doubted there was anything he liked about me, and as I watched blood drip onto the ground below me, I realized the feeling was mutual. I knew I had to get away from Josh before my relationship killed me.

My eyes moved to the hall, where a figure darted down the hall. I couldn’t make out much, but I knew the figure had long, dark hair. I strolled towards her as if she was compelling me towards her. There were framed pictures in the hallway. Pictures of her and a man who I assumed to be her husband. She wasn’t smiling in the pictures, and they only got worse as I followed her down the hallway.

The pictures seemed to come to life, as I saw images of an abusive husband hitting her. I watched in horror as she tried to leave, only to be chained to the wall. I watched in horror as he fed her a bowl of dog food and slapped her face when she refused to eat.

“Izzy,” Josh said, pulling me back to reality.

I turned to see Josh’s phone on a tripod. He walked over to me with a smile on his face before getting down on one knee before me. A lump formed in my throat as I realized what was happening. I wanted to ask him to stop, but I felt powerless.

“I’ve been thinking about this for a long time, and I know I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you, my crazy ghost girl,” he said, holding a ring up for me to inspect.

“No.” I shook my head, horrified. “I want to break up.”

“No? After everything I’ve done for you? I even found this cabin just for you.” He stood, his hands balled into fists at his sides. He raised one of his fists to hit me, but she was there. The widow pushed him away from me, forcing him back into the living room.

The chains that had once held the widow’s wrists wrapped around Josh’s wrists and ankles. He cried out, begging me to help him, but I felt frozen in place.

An invisible force picked me up and flung me from the house, just before the house burst into flames.

I watched as the house burned behind me, realizing that I had found a relationship just like the widow’s. Josh’s screams filled my ears, and for a moment, I wondered if I was doing the right thing. The widow appeared beside me, a smile on her face as her body faded away. She was finally free, and so was I.

**********************************************************************

“A smile spread across Izzy’s face as she watched the cabin burn, knowing that she’d never be abused by Josh again,” the light from her flashlight illuminated Carmen’s smile.

“That’s a stupid story,” Johnny said, as he pulled his marshmallow away from the fire. “There’s no way something like that could happen.”

“Maybe not, but I found the cabin. Do you want to go see it?” Carmen asked, unaware of the horror that awaited her.