Whispers of Wisps

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. That is when the whispers began amongst the residents of Poe Valley. The whispers of Wisps tied to the rundown old building that local legends say is a portal to Hell.

Built seventy years ago by a retired wealthy judge from New York, the cabin supposedly rested on a site tied to rituals of a coven of witches to commune with Satan back in the colonial times. After the witches were caught and murdered it was said that the portal to Hell they opened never fully closed and that at random times Wisps sent through by Satan would lure unwary victims to the spot using their greatest desires. They would be dragged down into Hell and never seen again.

The judge of course didn't believe in such nonsense especially since the last reported victim was decades before and not even confirmed to have existed. He built his cabin and settled into it comfortably. A few months later, a contractor coming to do some work found the cabin empty. No sign of anyone having lived there except a candle burning down in the window and desk up against it with a notebook with the name Veronica, the name of the judge's deceased wife, written over and over. No one ever learned what happened to the judge but legend says he was lured by a Wisp in the form of his wife through the portal to Hell. It came to be said that a candle would appear in the cabin window when the Wisps were moving about in our world.

For 22 year old Edgar Kingston that legend always made him roll his eyes especially at how many locals took it seriously. Poe Valley would literally shut down if word came of a candle in that cabin being seen. It happened when Edgar was 6 years old and a prankster actually lit a candle and placed it in the cabin window. The town flipped, fearing the Wisps, everything closed, even the bar, families huddled together at home for safety. Edgar was terrified that night but now, 16 years later the town was once more giving in to superstition, he was more annoyed than afraid. He wasn't going to hide from a campfire story.

He was parked on the edge of town smoking a cigarette while laying on the hood of his car looking up at the stars. It had been almost two hours and no Wisps had shown up to lure him away, giving him great amusement. A pair of lights coming up the road from the woods caught his attention. His first thought was it was the local Sheriff patrolling but instead it was a normal white Toyota that pulled up beside him coming to a stop.

"Edgar Kingston, I thought that was you," a woman's voice spoke as the car window came down. The short haired redhead about his age smiled a familiar smile. Edgar smiled in return, tossing aside his cigarette, "Willow Dean, what brings the big city college girl to town?"

"School break came home to visit my parents," Willow said before asking, "Why are you hanging out here?"

"Waiting for the Wisps," Edgar laughed, "They must be running late."

"So some dumb kid decided to do the candle prank?" Willow shook her head with a chuckle.

"Yeah, so everyone is going crazy with fear," Edgar said.

"That's why my mom wasn't answering her phone," Willow said, "She thought that the Wisps could somehow call you pretending to be someone you love to lure you out."

"That is ridiculous but sounds like my dad," Edgar laughed, "We couldn't even turn on the TV cause it might be used as a trap."

"Crazy," the girl chuckled, "Those clever Wisps will do anything to get someone to that cabin."

"Want to go check it out?" Edgar asked suddenly.

"What?"

"The cabin," Edgar climbed off the hood of his car, "Let's go check it out. Prove to people there is nothing there."

"OK," Willow responded.

"Cool, why don't you park and you can ride with me," Edgar said going to his driver side door.

Willow nodded and moments later the two were in his car driving down the dark stretch of forest road the only light coming from his headlights Willow looked out her window into the dark trees surrounding them, "It is pretty spooky."

"Yeah it is. At least though there is nothing to…" Edgar cut short as he slammed on his breaks stopping short of hitting a figure that appeared in the middle of the road.

There stood a teenage boy that Edgar recognized as Jimmy Allen, a local jokester. The young man stood a moment frozen in the glow of the headlights tears in his eyes and look of terror on his face. Edgar rolled down his window, "Jimmy! What are you doing out here in the middle of the road?"

The teen ran up to the window sobbing, "We gotta get out of here! They got Stephen…"

"Who got Stephen?" Willow asked. The pair assumed he was talking about his best friend Stephen Moon, another well known jokester.

'The Wisps…" Jimmy cried, "We were lighting a...a... candle at the old judge's cabin...It was supposed to be a joke…but they came and took him…"

"Get in!" Edgar unlocked his back door allowing the boy to scramble into the car. He took a deep breath trying to calm himself, "Please take me home."

"Not until we go get Stephen," Edgar said as started to drive on towards the cabin. "Little jerk probably decided to prank you too. I bet he is laughing it up right now."

"Please Noo!!" Jimmy cried, his sobbing starting all over again. Edgar ignored him and continued to drive.

A few minutes later, they pulled up to the cabin as dark and rundown as it had been for decades. Of course though one window was lit up by a single candle the one Jimmy and Stephen put there. Edgar turned to Willow, "Stay here with Jimmy, I'll go get Stephen."

The girl nodded as Edgar got out of the car and walked up onto the cabin's porch. He couldn't help but feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as he came to the open door. "Calm down dummy, it's just an old cabin with a stupid prankster hiding inside," he told himself as he stepped inside the building. "Stephen? You in here you little punk?"

Edgar walked quietly toward the room that had the window showing the candle. In a small hallway he saw a figure laying facedown on the floor. "Alright Stephen get up, jokes over. Let's get you home."

The figure didn't move or say a word causing Edgar to curse under his breath. "Get up!" He shouted, giving the boy a kick. Still nothing. Edgar bent down and turned the body over and almost vomited. It was Stephen but the teen was dead, his eyes looking as if they had burned in the sockets. Then suddenly the body sat up causing Edgar to stumble backwards.

"It will be the ultimate joke…" the words seemed to come as a hiss from the boy's lips before the body was suddenly consumed in flames. Edgar scrambled to his feet running for the door.

In his rush for the door he stopped short of running into Willow. He looked at the girl, his heart pounding from what he had witnessed, "We have to get out of here!"

"Anything for you, Edgar," Willow spoke in a whisper, her face a blank slate. She then moved in and kissed him passionately.

Edgar pushed her away shocked, "What are you doing?"

"I have wanted you for a long time Edgar Kingston," Willow's voice became raspy, "I have been burning with desire for you ever since high school…Ever since..."

Her words were cut off as her eyes began to glow as if reflecting a flame but instead were actually on fire themselves. Edgar watched in horror as the young woman like Stephen burst into flames with one last raspy, "I desire you Edgar…"

Edgar pushed past her burning body and out the cabin door. He suddenly found himself feeling extremely warm and light headed. He looked out towards his car, its headlights illuminating the porch he stood on. His back door was open and Jimmy was nowhere in sight. Good. He will go admit it was all a joke and prove I was right that it was nothing like I desired.

He wasn't right though he realized as he tried to shake off the fog clouding his mind. The Wisps used his desire to disprove the legends to lure him. He felt his throat going dry and a burning sensation in his eyes. He managed to gasp out one more whispered sentence before the flames overtook him. "I will prove it is all fake…"