Bear in the woods

“Shit”

Claire pulled her fingers up over her mouth, she felt like her mother could hear her, despite being all alone. She looked at the flat tire and pinched her eyelids closed to supress the angry tears. Her Father had warned her.

“Bear, it’s important to check the tire pressure. Make sure you keep the level at-” Claire had spaced out, she didn’t care about tires. Claire cared about the ocean. She reached up to her head allowing her fingers to pull through the curls of her strawberry hair.

“Well. Fuck. I guess….I guess I could call an Uber? Maybe?” She walked around to the passengers side of the car, where she’d kept her back pack.

“Babs, it’s completely shot” She called out as she dug through her pack.

“Wwwwhhhhhhaat doooo yyooou mmmmean sshshshshshshot?” The slithery voice came from the backseat, soft and sleepy.

“I MEAN that we’re going to have to figure something out because I have a flat tire.” Claire pulled out a book collection of spooky stories for kids, a photo of her family that her mother must have shoved in there, and finally an envelope.

“Sssssssoooooo you muuuuuuusssst unnnnnflllllatten the tirrrre” Babs’s voice was louder now, Claire didn’t seem to notice.

“No shit.”

“Yoooooour mmoooooother woooould NOT caarrrre for succcchhhh lannnnguage” Claire ripped open the envelope revealing a long letter from her Father about remembering who she is, where she came from, those that love her ya ya ya ya

And then

Should you ever need help, all you have to do is call. And I left the instructions for changing a tire in the trunk. I had a feeling that you weren’t listening

Claire smiled to herself.

“Good old Richard McConnell. Always looking ahead”

“yoooooou arrrrre quuuuite lucky Little beeear. Many finnnnd that the woooods are daaaaark with nowherrrre to tuuuurn”

Claire looked towards Babs for the first time since they’d been stranded. It was beginning to get dark, so all she could make out were the two violet blue eyes softly staring into her own from the backseat.

“Nuh aw who wunder are loss” Claire butchered the phrase in a mocking teasing tone. Babs was always throwing out helpful tidbits, ever since Claire was small. Well, she was sixteen now and old enough to be able to make her own choices.

“Wait….eighteen” Claire said out loud. She wondered back to the trunk.

“Arrrrree yoooou eiiiigghteeeeen? Arrrrrre yoooou ceeeeertain?”

Claire ignored Babs for the rest of the tire changing event. She needed to completely focus on what she was doing, or else she’d mess the whole thing up.

“You arrrre a lit-tle Be-ar in the woods” Claire blinked and found herself on the road again, tire fixed going smoothly.

“Babs, I am a grown woman”

“Yooooou’vvve beeeeen saayinggg that fooooor fifteeeeen yeeeears” Claire blinked. The road looked red

How long had the sun been up?

“What are you talking about?” Claire rubbed her left eye with a closed fist.

“Itttt’ssss annnn i-d-i-o-m. Peeeeeeop ple say themmmm whennnnn they wannnnt to exp-”

“I know what an idiom is Babs. Are you saying that I’ve been telling you that I’m a grown up so often you’re sick of it? Is that it?”

“Yessssss aaaannnd Noooo,lit-tle Bear. I coooould ne-ver tire of yoooou”

Claire looked ahead. It was almost like a painting. Blue sky, the sun rising.

Or setting?

“Babs, where are we?” Claire couldn’t remember how far they’d come, and for a moment forgot where they were going.

“yoooooou ssssssssaaaaaid thaaaaat weeeee werrrrrre going to seeeeee the osh…...osh…...osheeeeeen”

“The Ocean, yes. I remember that part. What I don’t remember is where we are now. Where are we now, Babs?”

A deep unsettling silence radiated from the back seat of the car. It was unlike Babs to be quiet, especially when she knew something.

“Babs?”

“Sweeeeeeeeeet Beeeear. I promissssssed you thisssss day would commmmme. I jussssst didnnnnn’t think thatttt I would looooooove yooooou when it came”

Claire felt the hair on her neck rise up.

“what?”

“I knnnnnnnneeeeeew you wooooouldn’t lisssssten tooooo your fa-ther. I KNEW that you woooould driiiiiive until the suuuuuuun was set. My sweeeeet bear” Claire could hear the sound of slithering in the back seat until suddenly, Babs’ voice was right within her ear.

“When you were a little bear. A small one, your Mother beggged me not to take you. She ppppleaded that I let you stay with them. She sooooo wanted a lit-tle girl. She knew making a deeeeal with me meant thaaaat you would not be a foreeeever.” Claire looked around. She wasn’t in the car anymore.

“Oh I’m asleep. Of course I’m asleep” she looked around once more to see nothing but darkness, instead of the comfort of her car, she sat upon a hollowed log. She sighed

“this dream again. Okay, whatever. Just let it run it’s course I guess”

“No, my sweeeeeeet bear. Thissss is what life isssss”

Claire looked down at her legs, and saw nothing.

“Babs, this is the weirdest dream I’ve ever had” Claire’s mouth felt like sandpaper. She smacked her lips together over and over, trying to rid them of scratching.

“Your Mooooother wassss not a-ble. Sssshe could on-ly cry at night forrrr what might havvvvve beeeen” Claire rolled her eyes deeply. This dream was really getting annoying.

“Wheeeeen sssshe assssked meeee I told her. I sssssaid that havvvving a babbbbby came at a cosssst”

Claire put her hands on either side of her.

“Just press down. Feel something solid beneath you.” she whispered to herself.

“Havvvvving a babbbby isssss not alllll it is crackk-ed up to be my sweeeeeet bear. I ammmm sorrrrrry ourrrr time together hasssss ended” Claire closed her eyes

“Just ride out the dream. Just ride it out until the end…..”

 

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Well

Let me explain

You see….
I know that it's unwise to believe in magic, especially in desperate circumstances.
But I needed the magic to be real
I NEEDED to have some miracle of God or Devil.
You see, the drought
There had been a terrible drought.
And all of the stores had run out of the bottled stuff.

She’d been…..

I’m sorry, I’m getting a bit ahead of myself.

“She” is the Witch of the Wood. I know that sounds silly, like something out of a children’s book.

But in my town, there’s a woman known as “the Witch of the Wood”

She lives in a dear little cottage in the country, just a mile outside of Maryland. People travel from all over for her remedies and her soaps, shampoos and essential oil blends.

But, I think the most Mysterious of her gifts is the big water well that resides in her yard. It’s like something you’d see in a fairly tale, all stone, with a roof above it that looks like a mushroom cap, red with white spots. It’s really quite adorable, and if you didn’t know better, you’d assume that’s all is was: adorable.

I went to the Witch.

I had hoped that maybe she had answers. That maybe she could solve the drought

I was a desperate man.

She just smiled at me, and led me to the little well. She took a large ladle that hung on a hook on the mushroom roof. She filled a large jug of water, and handed it to me.

“Come back when you need more” She’d said, and took my money.

When I tell you that this water tasted like candy, I want you to understand my meaning. It wasn’t just that water was scarce, this water seemed to have some sort of power to it. When I drank it tasted like lemonade with vodka. Or a vanilla milkshake with bourbon. I don’t know how to describe it other than, it was unbelievably delicious. And I felt so strong afterwards.

Like, like I could lift a car with ease. Like I could move a mountain with just a flick of the wrist.

I tried to ration my jug, I really did. I couldn’t help myself! After 3 days, I returned to her with payment. She gladly gave me more of the sweet water, this time though, in a smaller jug.

“Is there something wrong?” I asked, thinking that perhaps she was running out of large jugs

“Nothing is wrong. That is your jug” She held out her hand for payment.

I assume that it was a means of keeping me rationed. I assumed she did it with everyone who came to her for water.

But then…..

I suppose I don’t have to tell you that it wasn’t long before I was coming to her everyday. Everyday I would come to her home in the country, and I would give her money and she’d give me a jug.

I tried to ignore

That every time I returned the jug was slightly smaller.

Then one day

She stopped saying “Come back” and would just hand me the jug and say “Go”

The last time I came to get a jug was…..it was different.

She was standing on her step as though she’d been expecting me. I greeted her with a smile, but she didn’t smile back.

“Why have you come?” her tone was different. Even more harsh than the last time I’d come.

“I’m….here for more water? From the well?” I couldn’t believe the shakiness in my voice, I sounded like a frightened child.

“Leave” She howled, so deeply I was sure thunder could be created in her throat. “You have taken everything you deserve from the Well. There is no more left for you”

“How can there suddenly be no more water left for me? How is it possible that the INFINITE Well suddenly has no water left?”

Her hands came to clasp one another in front of her torso.

“I said there is no water left for YOU” I felt all the blood rush into my face

“I was worthy enough when you were taking my money, wasn’t I? How come all of a sudden I’m not worthy? I call Bullshit. Capitalism dictates you shut up and take my money” I continued towards her.

“STOP RIGHT THERE! IF YOU COME ANY CLOSER YOU WILL LIVE TO REGRET IT” All I could think about was this water, this Well, I looked down at my jug in hand. The one she’d seemingly taken from me week after week, day after day

I saw how small it had become.

“I am drinking from that Well” I tried to sound firm, but I could hear a shake in my voice.

“Don’t touch the Well! I’m warning you! The powers that be have spoken, and I’m telling you you’d be a fool not to listen!”

I tried to ignore her, but as I walked around the house I could feel the weight of her body catapult into mine.

“THERE IS NOTHING LEFT FOR YOU HERE! LEAVE NOW, OR I’LL CALL THE LAW”

I….

I can’t explain what happened I just sort of….

She was attacking me you see…

I threw her off of me.

She was so strong for such a little thing….I can barely remember it

It wasn’t my fault, it was an accident.

When I checked her pulse….There was nothing for me to do then…..it was too late.

So I figured I might as well, right? Well...ha….ytr

All I have is this tiny little jug, all I have is…..

I really need it, so badly

I wasn’t expecting anyone else to be here. Please stop looking at me like that

I’m asking you

Begging you please

I know what this looks like. I know what you must be thinking

I realize this must be your first time here, I can clearly see that it is

I don’t want to get violent with you, but you see once you kill someone it kinda gets easier to do it again, I’m not afraid to crack your head over that beautiful stone

Please,

just…..hand over your jug…...

 

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Dear Reader

 For the month of November I will be participating in National Novel Writing Month. In order to do this, I decided to take a break from my short stories for now. I will continue with your regularly scheduled spookiness come December.

In the meantime, if you are interested in reading my novel piece by piece as I write it, I invite you to  join my Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/TaylorNicolas 

Thank you so much for being  a part of my dreams.

I'll see you soon.

<3 Taylor Nicolas

Internet Connection Lost

 JP sat cross-legged on the bed she once shared with Jason. How much time had gone by? How long had she been waiting for him to come back? The day seemed to be so long, and from time to time she tried to log into her blog to see if there were any comments, maybe an update from someone who had been following along with her journey. But nothing. She couldn't even connect. She figured that a storm was coming in, and that she would wait for it to pass.

The van wouldn't start either. She had at one point decided to travel into town to contact someone about what had happened, but nothing. No sound, no click, just silence.

She could try to walk out, just walk away from the van and into the town. But, what if she couldn't find her way back?

She kept herself going by repeating over and over that eventually, Jason had to come back.

He had to.

After all, all of his stuff was in this van. She was in the van, and you don't just abandon everything you own over a little argument. Especially not when you're expecting to marry the person with whom there was an argument.

    To JP, it had been just a few hours. a few hours of sitting on the bed in the back of the van, waiting for Jason. The internet had been down for just a little while, and soon everything would be back to normal.

What JP didn't know, was that it had been 4 months. JP had been sitting on the bed, legs crossed, for 4 months of endless day. She had walked deep into the woods the first day, but to her, it was just a walk to and from the lake. She  tried to drive out the second day, and had been checking her phone every hour. To her, it was just a very long day. Not even too long of a day, just one of those summer days that seem to go on forever, despite it being autumn.

JP knows nothing of the Things that Possess. She knows nothing of the rules that come with being removed from your vessel, or what's more finding a new vessel to inhabit. She doesn't know that Jason and Elizabeth, who has been living blissfully as JP, have already been married for a week and a half.

She doesn't know that all she has to do, is find a new vessel, and she'll be free from this endless day.

All she knows 

is that Jason will be back

Any moment now

Jason will be right back......

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Palate Cleanser "The Girl"

         The trick is, not to give in to doubt. Really that's all that matters overall, in terms of being possessed. And frankly, Elizabeth was a girl who had always been full of doubt. She'd first come to the lake when she was 6 with her Father and brothers on a camping trip. She'd been so unsure of the lake itself, screaming and crying about monsters in the water, that she refused to go fishing. She sat on the shore while her family stood in the water casting lines. Causing such a ruckus that anything they could have caught was scared away. Her Father became so aggravated with her nonsense that he cut the trip short by a whole day. They didn't even have a chance to sleep in the woods.

Yes, Elizabeth was definitely a prime candidate for possession. 

        In High school, a boy asked her to the Junior formal and she worried herself sick thinking that it was all a trick.

    "He's probably going to dump fish heads down my dress. Or try and get me drunk and take advantage"

Truth be told, poor Mark Maverson just liked the way she looked, and wanted to take her out. But when she stood in front of him silently, becoming more and more uncomfortable as the wheels in her head turned and turned, he knew he'd made a terrible mistake.

    "Umm.... you know what Liz, I actually think I'm going to see my Grandma that weekend, so just forget it" He'd taken off in an almost sprint as soon as the words left his lips. He would never talk to Elizabeth again, not even during an exam  Senior year when he desperately needed a no. 2 pencil.

    Elizabeth lived a life of doubt and caution all the way up until her 18th birthday when she decided that she no longer wanted to be a mouse.

She was fed up with this life of utter sadness. Her hair was perpetually falling out, her heart was always pumping out of her chest, her eyes were sunken in so deeply one would think she was posing as a ghoulish specter. 

Very bravely, as brave as you could expect from her, Elizabeth approached her Father. She told him, voice shaking, that she wanted to go to the lake for her birthday. That she wanted him to show her how to fish, and she wanted to sleep under the stars.

You'd think an Outdoors-man such as Matthew Pierson would be please that his daughter finally wanted to follow in his footsteps. Instead, he glared at her over the rim of his glasses, still holding his morning paper.

    "Elizabeth, I don't know what it is you're playing at, but I want no part in it. If you're thinking for one minute, after what you put me through not too long ago that I would EVER take you back to the lake....." He trailed off. This usually meant that he was going to say something completely cruel, but then realized his daughter's delicate disposition couldn't take the blow. Elizabeth wanted to tell him he was wrong. That in fact that "not too long ago" was actually 12 years ago, and that she wouldn't cry on the shore for hours and hours. But unfortunately, she'd used all of her bravery to tell her Father that she wanted to go to the lake. She walked back up to her room with the speed of a geriatric tortoise. 

Her speed granted her time to think, and by the time she reached the top of the stairs she'd decided that she was going to the lake on her own. She would show everyone that she wasn't a scaredy cat or a meek little mouse. She would be the kind of girl who said "Yes!" When a boy asked her to a dance. The kind of girl who went swimming without feel of serpents, and ate ice cream without fear of aneurysm. 

    At this point, an intelligent human being might have come to the conclusion that our dear Elizabeth Pierson is suffering from some sort of Mania, or Anxiety disorder. You may be screaming

    "Good god! Someone take that girl to a Doctor! She needs medical attention!" 

I regret to inform you that, apparently in Elizabeth's life, there were no intelligent humans. It is this, a lack of intelligence, that creatures of possession prey upon.

In another world, in another story, written by some other writer who is not so hell bent on warning you and telling you these truths, Elizabeth might have had a beautiful coming of age.

 But instead

That night, when her brother's and Father went to sleep, Elizabeth took a knapsack,  a sandwich, a flashlight, and her bicycle and went out into the woods.

She was not prepared. You would think a girl who had been raised by a man such as Matthew Pierson would have known everything there was to know about camping. But, like he said, Matthew had given up on her at the age of 6. After all, Matthew was a much better Outdoors-man then he was a Father.

That night, armed with a little red flashlight, Elizabeth walked on an unknown trail until she heard water. She followed the sound of the water until she came to a clearing, where the moon was as big as a Ferris wheel and just as close. It shown so brightly that Elizabeth forgot that she was afraid of the woods, and the water, and for that matter the moon. She started a little fire, and allowed herself to lie down in the moon's light, breathing in her surroundings. She almost fell asleep when...

    "Hello" Elizabeth's eyes shot open, she sat up with a swift jolt. She suddenly remembered her deep seeded fear, and overwhelming doubt. But there was nothing. No person around, no animal, just...the Moon.

    "Hello" Elizabeth replied surprisingly calm.

    "What's your name?" The voice asked. It's sound was soft like music played on a stringed instrument.

    "Elizabeth. What's yours?"

    "Don't have one."

    "You don't have one? Where are you?" Elizabeth looked all around, and when she once again saw no one, she rested her eyes on the Moon.

"Is that you?" She asked

    "Yes, that's me. I have been watching you. And I like you very much. Would you like to swim in my water?"

Like I said before, Elizabeth was a human full of doubt. But something about the Moon's sweet voice left her feeling....nothing. Not fear, not doubt, not peace. Just....nothing.

She closes her eyes and breathed in the water, the sky, and the moon. She rose to her feet, and walked into the water.

    The Moon, dear reader, cannot speak. The Moon is a giant gravity rounded astronomical body  238,900  miles away from the earth. But what  CAN speak, are the things that possess. They have no faces, no outward appearances. They just sort of float through the earth looking for a vessel. And this thing that possesses, this one was completely entranced by Elizabeth's vessel.

Elizabeth stepped into the water, and allowed herself to become submerged. She was suddenly on the other side of the lake. How had this happened? She was sure she'd fallen asleep and dreamed it all, until she saw herself come walking out of the water. She watched herself gather her things, and leave the campground. Elizabeth shook her head, only, when she went to shake her head she couldn't move.

She tried to look down at her hands, her feet her torso, only to find there was nothing.

She was no longer.

She was just, a consciousness. 

       In the days and years that followed, Elizabeth Pierson would come to be known as the most fun, adventurous and brave woman that the town had ever seen. Her hair grew in thick, her skin perked in the sun, and her eyes glimmered like jewels.

Her Father was so pleased with her turn around that he would often take her to the Lake and go fishing. Sometimes, in the night though, he'd hear her laughing. Cackling even. But it didn't matter.

Elizabeth was finally the girl that would say "Yes!" when a boy would ask her to a party. She was never called a mouse, or told she looked like a ghoulish specter. Finally the daughter her Father had always wanted, the sister her brother's could adore.

And isn't that, after all, what she'd wanted all along? 

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Status 24

 I walked out into the woods and I can't find him.

I can't find him anywhere.

I decided that I would try to drive to the next town, call the police.

But the Van won't start. I put the keys in the ignition, and nothing happens

Nothing at all.

Everything seems so bright now and I can hear a loud ringing in my ears. I closed my eyes for a moment and when I opened them again it was dark

Almost too dark to see.

I tried to call his cellphone, but nothing happens. No dial tone, no ringing

Nothing

I don't know what to do now. 

</3 JP

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Status 23

Hey Family

I just wanted to update you! Me and Jason are officially ENGAGED!!

I'm so excited for what the future holds, and I can't wait to spend my life with him. We're on our way back to Illinois to get things ready because

I can't wait!

Love you all so much! Keep you posted

<3 J 

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