Estimated reading time — 12 minutes

A lot of questions have been asked of me lately by many different parties. My parents want to know why I almost refuse to leave the house anymore. My doctor wants to know what has been causing my insomnia. The police want to know my whereabouts and actions on the night of the 20th. However the hardest questions to answer are the questions my friends’ parents keep asking. They ask in different ways but it always amounts to the same thing. “Where is my child?”

That question is difficult not because I don’t know the answer but because I do. I could tell them almost exactly where they can find their children but the problem is, they won’t believe a word of it. Even if they did, the stark truth of it all would destroy them. It is better to have a fraction of hope than to know the horrors of reality. Then why am I writing this? Perhaps it is my own guilt that forces the pen to the paper. The truth deserves to be told in some form. So I write this once, so that I never have to speak of this outloud.

It all began, as the police expect, on the 20th of March. I got a text from my friend Sean saying that since it was the end of spring break, we should all go camping in the woods. Camping in early spring is not the activity I would have had in mind but Sean was our unofficial leader and once he got his mind set on something it was hard to say no to him. Besides he had been dealing with sickness problems for the last few weeks and he really needed time out.

That night the four of us met at the entrance of Rama Woods. Sean had got there first with his girlfriend Cali. She was a beautiful woman with baby blue eyes and bright blonde hair. One look at her and you would assume she was your typical airhead mean girl however she was anything but that. I have never met a kinder woman and she was top of her class at Brock University. She had a glorious future ahead of her, at least she used to.

What she was doing with a man like Sean I’ll never know. He was kind but very arrogant and self centered. Definitely the daredevil type that knew no fear. Last to arrive was Andrew. One look at him would have you assuming that he was your standard stoner/slacker and you would be right. You could even add philosopher and conspiracy theorist to that list as well. He was the only one of us not in university. He claims that post secondary education is just the government’s way of keeping the poor in low end jobs. He came up and we high-fived each other. Had it known that he had less than 4 hours to live, I would have gone with a hug.

We hiked into the woods and managed to get our camp set up just before the sun went down. We all sat in a circle around the camp fire when Andrew asked the question that had been on all our minds. “What did you really bring us out here for man? If you wanted to get drunk we could have done that back at your place. What’s your plan, lead us into the woods and kill us all one by one?” Sean just laughed at this. “Not exactly. Do you guys know what day it is?” He asked. I merely shrugged. “It’s the first night of spring.” He said as if that explained everything.

“Yeah it may be spring but this is still Canada. There is still snow on the ground not 10 feet from us!” Andrew complained. Cali rubbed Sean’s shoulder. “I’m with him, you are going to put yourself right back into the hospital baby.” Sean just smiled again. “I am never going back to the hospital again. Not after tonight. None of us are.” He said with absolute certainty.

We all looked at him in confusion. “Tonight we will be performing The Blessing of Mira.” Sean yelled like a sports announcer. Andrew and I rolled our eyes but Cali seemed confused. “What are you talking about?” She asked. Sean rubbed her back and kissed her head. “Sorry baby, sometimes I forget that you are not a local. In your months here has no one told you the Legend of Mira Birch?” Cali merely shook her head. “Then gather around children and I shall weave you a tale.” Sean said with a mischievous grin.

We sat in silence while Sean recited the legend that we had all been hearing since middle school. “Centuries ago in these very woods lived a woman named Mira Birch. Some called her a green witch, some say she was simply a woman who loved the forest. She lived in a small cabin at the heart of woods. She spent her days in harmony with nature, tending to the trees and plants of the forest. However her peaceful existence was threatened when the lumberjacks arrived.”

Seemingly at the mention of lumberjacks, a loud crack sounded through the air. A chill went through our spines but we continued to listen. “Mira confronted the woodsmen and told them to leave her woods unharmed or disaster would befall them. The men laughed it off however after that day a curse seemed to take hold of them. Some of the men came down with a deadly flu, one man was crushed when a tree fell in a way that completely defied all logic. Their foreman said it was a simple misfortune but the men knew it was a witches curse. That night while Mira was sleeping, the men traveled to her cabin, then sealed the doors and windows. They lit her cabin ablaze and listened while she screamed inside.

With their foe gone the men continued the work uninterrupted. They had nearly destroyed the forest until one morning the men did not show up to work. The foreman went to their camp and what he found was complete desolation. The men had all been torn apart, their axes broken, and sticking out of their chests were long tree branches. They say that the spirit of Mira still lingers to this day, protecting the forest from that which would harm it. On quiet nights you can still hear her angry screams on the wind.”

Andrew shook his head. “No, I thought it was if you heard a familiar voice in the wind, turn around and run as fast as you can.” Sean shrugged. “There are many legends of Mira ranging from the very peaceful to her being pure evil. That story is the one I feel is the most accurate.” Sean said strongly. “Surely you don’t believe any of it.” I said exasperated. Sean shook his head. “The burnt cabin exists, that much is fact. That is where we are going tonight.”

“Why would we do that?” Cali asked. Sean reached into his bag and pulled out 4 tree saplings. “We are going to complete The Blessing of Mira. It is said that if you venture to her cabin and leave a sapling on her floor to honor her, then you will be blessed with health and longevity.” Andrew shook his head again. “Do you really believe these old wives tales?” Sean shrugged. “Well I say we do it regardless. If it works then great, if not then we all have a good laugh and get drunk. What do we have to lose?” None of us could really think of a good argument to that so we simply nodded and got ready. It turns out we had everything to lose.

Sean put out the fire and placed a sapling into each of our palms. “Remember you need to have positive thoughts at all times during the ritual.” He told us with full seriousness. “Can do.” Andrew muttered through the side of his mouth that didn’t have a lit joint in it. “You are seriously going to smoke that while we do this?” Sean asked, clearly annoyed. “Well it is a gift from the Earth. It would be disrespectful to deny it.” Andrew retorted. Sean merely nodded. “Fair enough. Now make sure that you stick to the trail at all times. Most important of all, do not do anything to disturb or harm the forest, you will live to regret it.” With that we set out on our journey.

None of us spoke on the walk through the woods. I’m not sure if it was out of fear or respect but none of us dared to make a sound. I tried to manifest as many positive thoughts as I could but I could not deny that the woods were creeping me out. Every tree branch looked like clawed fingers reaching for me. The wind blew the budding leaves in the trees and the sound was like the rattle of a snake. All through the trees crows and owls sat on branches seemingly watching our progress.

Finally we made it to the bottom of the hill and what we found stole the breath from lungs. Laying before us were the charred remains of a cabin. The wood was burnt and rotting in places but the frame and roof remained intact. I don’t know how to describe it but I could feel the fear and pain Mira must have felt in her final moments. Based on the expression of the others, they did as well. The only one unaffected was Sean who had a big grin on his face.

Sean walked through a gaping hole in the wall and into the cabin. We followed suit but with much more caution. Once we were all in, Sean turned to us and smiled. “This is it. All you have to do is place your sapling down and say the following incantation. Oh great mother, we implore you to grant us your blessing. We honor your sacrifice and offer you our nobility.” We simply nodded and one by one we completed the ritual. For some strange reason that I couldn’t identify at the time when I finished the incantation, I felt a sense of dread instead of peace.

We all completed the ritual and once we did a strange and ominous wind rushed past us and chilled the room. Then it stopped and we were left with silence. We stood for a few minutes but nothing seemed to happen. Andrew grew agitated. “We came all the way out here for this. What a massive waste of time.” He took out his joint and before any of us could react he flicked it at his sapling. When the lit joint hit the tree I could feel a strange ripple rush through the room and I had the strangest sensation that we were not alone.

“What have you done?” Sean asked. We all turned to Andrew however none of us were prepared for what we saw. In the dark gloom of the cabin, a strange black silhouette stood behind Andrew. Before we had a chance to warn him a clawed hand reached around and swiped at his neck. Andrew gasped and tried to grasp his throat however it was quickly turning to ash. The tears in his throat traveled down his neck and into his lungs. His chest started to dissolve into nothing but burnt ash and at last he collapsed to the floor. As his body fell the figure in the shadows stood in his wake. A pair of amber eyes glowed in the darkness. They stared at us in hatred.

None of us wasted any time lingering and we rushed out of the cabin. We dared not look back but we could hear a mighty roar from the cabin followed by the crunching of wood. It was coming for us. We ran as fast as we could, just praying not to get lost in the woods. Finally we couldn’t run anymore and collapsed in a clearing. Sean sat on a rock and looked shell shocked. “I told him not to upset nature. I warned him he would regret it.” Cali shook her head. “Are you saying that thing was really a witch?”

I thought of joining her protests but I just couldn’t. I saw one of my best friends turn to ash before my eyes. I am a rational person but there is a fine line between being rational and being in denial. “Yes I believe that is what that was.” I said calmly. Tears flowed from her eyes. “What do we do then?” She asked. “I say we make our way back to our cars and get out of here.” I yelled. Sean looked uncertain for a moment but then nodded his head. “Let’s go and for the love of all that you hold dear stick together.”

We walked through the woods quickly but quietly as we dared. Our ears were on high alert. I swear I could hear every gust of wind, every blade of grass that moved. We walked on and on but something was wrong. The walk to the cabin had been relatively short and we had walked almost twice that long back. I walked to Sean. “We should have hit the camp long ago.” I said. Sean didn’t turn to face me but nodded his head. “She doesn’t want us to leave.” He said with surprising calm.

I was about to protest when the squeak of Cali’s voice sounded behind us. “Guys I can’t move.” We turned towards her and saw her frozen in fear. I was confused so I pulled my flashlight out and shined it on her. I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sight. At her feet were dozens of bugs, spiders and snakes. Predators and prey standing side by side, only focused on Cali. They reared their heads and legs at her aggressively.

Sean moved forward and extended his hand to her. “Move forward. If you have no fear they won’t hurt you. I will protect you.” She shook her head and said she couldn’t. From behind her those burning amber eyes shone in the dark. We yelled for her to move but a long tentacle like vine wrapped around her waist. With one mighty tug she was dragged into the night. I still hear her ear splitting screams every time I try to sleep.

We knew there was no hope for her and ran as fast as we could. We found a small cave and hid inside. Sean began to cough uncontrollably. I tried to comfort him but he pushed me away. He slowly stopped and I saw a trail of blood coming from his mouth. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t want it to be like this. I thought it would be different.” He said with tears in his eyes. I was about to ask him what he was talking about when a voice from the distance startled us.

Cali’s voice echoed from down the hill. “Sean, where are you? I’m hurt and I need your help. Please come, why did you leave me?” Sean began to cry and kept repeating that he was sorry. “All is forgiven, just please help me.” She cried out. Sean got up and started running towards the voice. Something felt wrong here, the voice sounded like Cali but there was something underneath it all, something sinister. I suddenly remembered the legends speaking of a familiar voice in the wind and I ran out to him.

The sounds of Sean crying filled the air. I followed them into a small clearing. Sean was on his knees in front of the trees where an all too familiar pair of amber eyes shone in the dark. Cali was hanging limply from a tree, both arms pierced with branches. Sean looked up at the dark witch. “Please I have completed the ritual and I have provided the sacrifices. Now give me what is promised.”

My jaw hung open and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. My best friend was trying to have me killed. “I am not long for this world. My body is failing but I am not ready to die. Please I am begging you, fulfill the blessing. Grant me health and longevity. I beg you please!” He screamed into the darkness. The shadow figure stepped into the light of the moon and it took all my will to stifle my scream.

I don’t know entirely what I was expecting. A weathered crone, burnt flesh, perhaps the ghost of a beautiful woman. However what stepped out was not a ghost, nor was it human. What stepped into the clearing was a monster. Her body was made of wood and rotting bark. She bore long clawed fingers. Her body was covered in leaves oozing black sludge and small buds that looked like boils. Her hair was made of leaves of poison oak and her mouth was full of stone fangs. She had truly become one with the forest.

She strode towards Sean and gently stroked a claw down his face. “Granted” she said with dozens of voices overlapping. Sean cried harder. “Thank you my lady, thank you.” Mira reached and pulled one of the bulbish boils from her skin. Before he had time to react she shoved the bulb down his throat. Sean grunted and struggled but could not stop her.

She let him fall to the ground and he turned to face me. “I am so sorry.” He said, crying his final tears. What happened next will forever be etched on my memory. Sean began to convulse and scream. Slowly his body began to lengthen and twist. His skin grew hard and turned into wood. His legs swelled as they stretched into great roots. They dug into the ground forcing him to stand upright. His body expanded and his arms turned to mighty branches. His human features ceased to exist and all that stood before me was a fresh Birch tree.

Mira put her hands upon it and said “Live long, grow in health.” Sean’s wish had indeed been granted. She then turned those Amber eyes on me and all sane thoughts left my body. I turned on my heels and ran. I didn’t care about my friends anymore. All I cared about was the monster on my tail and I could hear that she was gaining ground. I rushed passed row after row of trees and I couldn’t help but wonder how many used to be people?

I saw something in the distance that made my heart skip a beat. The road was ahead and I could see our cars parked on the side. I ran with all my might all the while praying that I didn’t trip on a root or ice. I placed my left foot on the cool pavement and at the same moment I felt a set of razor sharp claws rip into my right side. I screamed and fell to the ground. I waited for my skin to vanish or mutate but nothing happened. I looked up and saw no pursuer in the trees, I was alone. I didn’t know what else to do so I left.

The next day the police came to me saying that they found my friend’s cars at the side of the road and they knew through Facebook that we were getting together. I told them that I had changed my mind and stayed home. They drilled into me for days about their absence and told me I should come clean. However we both knew they had no real evidence and so they have stopped for now.

In the days since I have become a recluse. I don’t like to leave the house and sleep is next to impossible. I tried to convince myself that perhaps the whole thing was some sort of hallucination brought on by stress. However after last night I no longer believe that to be possible.

I wanted to face my fears so I thought I would try exposure therapy. I went to the park near my house after dark. I stood in the darkness and yet I felt nothing but calmness. That was until I heard the bark on a tree begin to rip. I turned towards it and my blood stopped. Standing there next to the tree was Mira, her amber eyes burning into me. She pointed a clawed finger at me and the wound on my side burned as if it was fresh. She spoke then with the voice of my three fallen friends. “We are always watching you.”

Credit: Tenac