Wick's End

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. This wasn’t quite common to see for Park Ranger Berit, not many people went this deep into this part of the woods, but it has happened. Lost hikers would take shelter, teens would use it as a place to party. Spending 30 years in these woods, he’s seen a thing or two, but a single lit candle in the middle of the night was odd. Berit walked up to east side of the cabin and looked into the window. He could only see the candle sitting on a single wooden table. He furrowed his eyebrows.

“That’s odd, don’t remember seeing that table in there before,” Berit said.

“Hello? Is there anyone in there? Are you injured? I’m a park ranger,” Berit said.

“You’re not in trouble, but you need to leave,”

There was no response. Sighing, Berit went to the door that sat on the long side of the cabin on the south side. He grabbed the handle, turned it, and pushed open the door. The single candle sat on the wooden table; the flame flickered with the breeze entering the cabin. Berit took out his flashlight and clicked it on.

“What the…” he said.

There was nothing in her except the table and candle. Before there was an old wooden bed frame, cracked on one side. A table with a couple chairs, cabinets on the walls above the counter. All of it was gone. Berit laughed to himself and grabbed his radio.

“Dean, you didn’t happen to empty out the cabin, did you?” Berit said.

A click came from the other side.

“No? why would I do that? That place creeps me out, I don’t go near it,” Dean said.

“Alright, must’ve been looters or something then. I’ll be headed back shortly, going to put out this candle first, don’t need any chance of a fire out here,” Berit said.

“Okay Berit, see you when you get back,” Dean said.

Dean walked over to the candle, licked his thumb and index fingers, and reached for the flame.

“Welcome home,” said a woman’s voice; with multiple layered whispers cascading throughout the cabin.

“Who’s there?!” Berit said point his flashlight in all corners spinning in circles looking for the source of the voice. There was nothing there. The candle’s flame started to flicker wildly, there was no breeze in here.

“Dean?! Come in Dean, there’s something strange going on out here, I need you to come out now,” Berit said, hand shaking while holding the walkie talkie.

“What’s going on?” asked Dean.

“I don’t know, I heard a voice, and this candle started flickering like crazy. I need to get out of here,” Berit said.

“Why would you want to leave your new home? The woman’s voice said. Still with the cascading whispers at once, except this time the voice came through his walkie talkie.

Berit smacked his walkie talkie.

“Dean?! Dean!” Berit yelled. There was only static.

“I’ll be home soon,” The voice whispered again throughout the cabin. The candle continued to flicker. Berit ran to the door to get out. He tried pulling it open, but it was stuck. No matter how hard he pulled, it wouldn’t budge.

“The hell?! What do you want from me!”

“Want? Why, you, of course. You are my guest, it would be rude of you to leave so soon,” The voice said, almost sounding hurt.

“Wait, what do you mean coming home? Who are you? Dean, are you messing with me again?!”

“There’s no Dean here,” the voice whispered around him again.

The candle flame flickered wildly then grew larger. A single line of wax quickly fell down the side of the stick. One by one more lines fell. Berit ran to the window opposite the candle, and tried to push, lift, and break it. Nothing worked.

“Help! Anyone!” Berit yelled out.

“I’m almost home,” the woman said.

Trees began being up rooted and falling with a loud crash around the perimeter of cabin. Berit ran to the other window again and saw the same thing. It's as if the forest itself was dying around him.

The candle was now halfway through its wax. Berit tried the door again. It still wouldn’t budge.

“I'm here,” the woman said.

Berit ran to the window. Just inside the tree line he could make out a figure. It was tall? He couldn’t tell. It looked like it was floating, it had a feminine figure. It seemed to float towards the cabin. The candle only had ¼ of its wax remaining. The wax spilling over the base dripping onto the table. He looked out the window again. This time he saw what looked like headlights.

“Dean!” Berit shouted. The headlights were unmistakable. They were from their ranger jeep. Dean dodged a couple of fallen trees and ramped over a hill created by the uprooted earth and landed with a thud near the cabin. Dean quickly got out of the jeep and started to run toward the cabin. Berit could see Dean mouth “Berit!?” with hands to mouth. The forest behind him grew darker, the clearing in the cabin’s area started to turn black and grey. The figure emerged from the trees and looked toward Dean. Berit could now see her in her entirety. She wasn’t floating, she was the earth. Her “legs” were a mass of roots, dirt, and leaves that carried her. Her arms spread as if welcoming an old friend. Her face, eerily beautiful. Pale skin with tree bark like texture; roots protruding from her head curling up and back as if they were horns. Her “clothes” were more of the same; an almost dress designed by roots with several jagged edges.

Berit took a step back from the window as this creature slowly drifted toward Dean who was visibly shaking. Dean pulled out his pistol and fired three rounds into the woman’s chest. It didn’t seem to faze her. The woman stopped, cocked her head to the side, put a pale hand on her mouth. Her shoulders quickly lifted and down as she laughed in Dean's attempts. She smiled, then raised her right arm. The earth rumbled, and from underneath Dean, the earth opened. Roots flew out, wrapping Dean completely engulfing him and pulled him back down into the earth. The woman looked satisfied as if she had just overcome a small obstacle.

“The legend is true,” Berit said to himself. “The Matriarch, she’s real…”

Legend says that the Matriarch is the owner of this forest and doesn’t like anyone interfering with it. The woods are vast with numerous caves, and dangerous animals. Berit now knowing that the Matriarch is real, realized that all those missing people over the recent years may have been hunted down by her.

The Matriarch, without turning her head, gave Berit a side eyed look; her smile returned. As her form began to more toward the cabin again. the green grass graying as she neared. When she passed by the jeep, she stopped, turned back, and looked at it her lips turned into a snarl. She spread her arms out before her and then slowly brought her hands together as if trying to crush an invisible box. The jeep started to creak, bend, and break as it came together, side mirrors flying off as the jeep’s hood met the trunk, leaving a smashed cube of metal on the ground.

Berit tried punching the window hoping to break it. It still wouldn’t give. The Matriarch glided toward him. Berit couldn’t take his eyes off her. Her bright blue eyes transfixed on him, her head cocked to the side curiously looking at him, she smirked as something big started moving around her body of roots, dirt, and leaves. She reached the window.

“Oh, my god,” Berit said. the roots moving in and out of the Matriarch were not roots, they were faces trying to escape. He recognized one of them from the missing person’s report a couple of weeks back, and he recognized Dean’s face. The faces were screaming in agony as they were forced back into the Matriarch.

The candle was nearing the end of its wick. Just a sliver of wax remained, as the flame began to slowly die out. Berit rushed the cabin door, trying to break through with his shoulder. It almost gave way. He took a few steps back and got ready to try again. However, the door opened on its own. The Matriarch stood there, with a wide smile, with her appearance, and what Berit just witnessed that friendly smile did not fit her, which added to the unease Berit felt. Berit looked over his shoulder, the flame dipped out of existence, darkness returned to the cabin.

“I’m home,” The Matriarch said. Berit felt himself being pulled toward her. His body being wrapped and lashed with thorny vines. The vines crushed him, breaking several bones. Berit started to scream. His screams were muffled as more vines wrapped around his head. His world and existence became nothing.

The trees went back to their former glory, the grass became green again. the roots returned to its underground dwelling. The area sat untouched once again. the cabin was peaceful once more. In the cabin sat a single candlestick on a small rickety table. The wick ignited and on top a single small flame could be seen from the cabin’s window.