House of Whispering Pines

The sky lit up with vivid shades of oranges and yellows as the sun said good morning while the moon kissed the world goodnight. The moon left its starlit throne as it sunk behind the mountains. Jim and Anna sipped their coffee in awe; captivated by the bright colors overtaking the dark night.

They arrived at House of Whispering Pines Bed and Breakfast late last night after they both finished a long day of work. They hoped a weekend in the woods at a quaint bed and breakfast along Lake Luna would bring back the magic they once felt in their marriage. Like most couples working full time jobs in high stress careers had taken its toll on their once blissful relationship. A weekend away from the constant interruptions was exactly what they needed.

House of Whispering Pines sat far back in the Tillamook Woods along the north shore of Lake Luna. It was a grand colorful Victorian house with intricate designs displaying the craftsmanship and artistry of its time. Most of the homes around Lake Luna were log cabins used for summer lodging. In the warm months the lake was filled with the happy chatter of adults barbequing and kids splashing in the water. But now as the crisp autumn air set in, the lake was deserted except for Mrs. Crandley and her bed and breakfast. Although the north shore of Lake Luna was always deserted except for Mrs. Crandley since House of Whispering Pines was the only home along it.

Mrs. Crandley had been exceptionally accommodating about their arrival time last night. She knew they would be arriving well past sunset, but she stayed up to greet them with a plate of cookies and chamomile tea. Jim and Anna felt instantly welcomed by the old woman with gray hair and wrinkles around her eyes as she smiled at them in her floral smock and pink slippers.

This morning Mrs. Crandley was kind enough to brew fresh coffee and bake blueberry muffins for them even though they had awoken in the early morning. Living such fast paced lives never allowed them to sleep in so even in the peacefulness of the forest they were awake with the sun. Jim and Anna insisted Mrs. Crandley did not need to wait on them especially at this hour, but they were her only guests this weekend. And living alone along the lake left her starved for human conversation. There was a sparkle in her eyes as she laughed and told them the lake wasn’t the best conversationalist.

After Mrs. Crandley served them coffee and muffins she left them on the balcony to watch the sunrise in peace. The couple watched as shades of oranges and yellows danced along the surface of Lake Luna making the bed of water look as if it was on fire. Anna couldn’t wait to get her camera and snap a few photos of the lake for souvenirs. A gentle breeze twirled Anna’s hair leaving a content smile on her face.

“Isn’t this wonderful, Jim?” Anna asked as her mind swirled with images of them hiking and snuggling up by the fireplace.  

Jim took Anna’s hand in his and grinned at his wife. He had forgotten how truly beautiful she was when she didn’t have her hair all put in precise place or when she didn’t have a speck of makeup on.

“Yes, Darling, it certainly is,” Jim replied with satisfied confidence.

The couple rocked in the wooden chairs until the sun hung high in the sky filling the world with its light. It was a perfect autumn day. Anna could have stayed in those rocking chairs all day with her husband if it wasn’t for her childlike excitement about hiking around the lake. While pouring the coffee Mrs. Crandley told them about an easy 6 mile hike that went all the way around the lake. She said it was the best trail to snap a few colorful fall photos and really see the full beauty of the lake.

Once the last crumb of blueberry muffin was eaten and the last sip of coffee was drunk, Jim and Anna slipped on their hiking boots they explicitly bought for this trip.

The rickety stairs creaked as their heavy boots clopped down the staircase. They chatted excitedly about the wildlife they hoped to see on the trail. As Jim hit the last step with Anna right on his heels, something startled him almost causing him to fall back and knock Anna over.

“Oh Mrs. Crandley, I’m sorry I didn’t see you there,” Jim apologized awkwardly. Anna placed her hand on Jim’s shoulder in support.

“That’s alright dear. Where are you two running off to?” Mrs. Crandley inquired in her croaking voice. She seemed surprisingly steady considering she’d almost been run down by a man much larger than she.

“We decided to explore the trail you told us about this morning,” Anna answered with her hand still on Jim’s shoulder. Anna made no move to step in front of Jim, instead she contently hid halfway behind him. Anna thought Mrs. Crandley was nice enough, but there was something about her that unsettled Anna and she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

“Oh how lovely. Be sure to make it back in time for supper, I’m cooking spaghetti with garlic bread tonight,” Mrs. Crandley said.

“Sure thing Mrs. Crandley, I’m sure we’ll be hungry after exploring the lake all day,” Jim replied regaining his assured confidence.

Mrs. Crandley continued to block their exit as she studied them silently.

“Is there anything else you needed from us?” Anna asked. Anna and Jim shared an uncomfortable glance.

“No dear, you two have fun, take some muffins for the road,” Mrs. Crandley answered before slowly turning away from them and retreating to the winged back chair in the living room. The plush periwinkle chair was Mrs. Crandley’s favorite spot in the whole house; it had the best view of the lake.

Jim and Anna dipped into the kitchen to stick a few muffins in their pockets before they quickly slipped out the front door in order to avoid another run in with Mrs. Crandley.

Anna intertwined her fingers in Jim’s and stated, “That was odd.”

Jim nodded in agreement. “I know, but don’t worry about that quirky old lady. Let’s just enjoy our hike and what little time we have here before we head home tomorrow.”

Anna stopped, pulling Jim back; she kissed him with more enthusiasm than she had in a long time. Her fingers caressed his cheek as he pulled her in closer. In this moment Anna was reminded how much she loved her husband and how happy she was to get this time with him without the interruptions of their normally hectic lives.

“Or we could just go back upstairs,” Jim coyly suggested as they parted.

Anna laughed and gave him a playful shove. “No way, we will have plenty of time to do that tonight. Right now it’s hiking time! I can’t wait to snap some photos of this beautiful scenery,” Anna exclaimed as she held up the camera hanging from her neck.

Jim smiled enjoying seeing his wife so cheerful without the usual creases of stress on her face. “Alright, you win,” Jim laughed as he grabbed Anna’s hand again. The two happily strolled into the woods beginning their hike around Lake Luna. As they made their way to the trail, Anna glanced back at House of Whispering Pines. She felt the eerie sensation of someone’s eyes on them, but when she turned around, there was no one there, not even Mrs. Crandley standing in a window.  

Anna tried to shake off the feeling of someone watching them as her and Jim hiked deeper into Tillamook Woods. She took a few pictures and listened half-heartedly as Jim commented on the scenery. Each time they stopped to examine a new tree, Anna studied their surroundings. The creepy feeling of eyes upon them lingered; even though they were well over a mile into their trek.

As Jim excitedly chattered on about a potential fox hole, Anna tuned her ears to listen to the soft sounds surrounding them. She didn’t hear a single bird chirp or a branch snapping under the weight of an animal. All she heard was the rustling of pine tree branches. Anna wouldn’t have thought anything of this except she could feel no wind playing with her hair. The branches seemed to move on their own without help from an outside source. Anna listened more closely to the sounds of pinecones clanking and needles brushing up against each other. It sounded as if the pine trees were trying to tell her something. Something urgent.

“Anna, are you alright?” Jim asked as he studied his wife.

Anna whipped around, his voice startling her out of her concentration. Her wild eyes met his concerned ones.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Anna replied as she turned back to look at the pine trees. “Just listening to the rustling of the trees is all.”

“Are you sure? You look a little… unnerved,” Jim questioned as he stepped closer to her.

“Don’t you think it’s strange that we haven’t seen any wildlife? We haven’t even heard a bird chirping. Not one bird,” Anna inquired. Her eyes narrowed as she turned back to the lake. Under her intense stare, the lake seemed to ripple in response. Anna watched as the small waves from the lake cascaded to the shore. She wondered how the ripple effect started. Was the lake like the pine trees? Could it shake and shimmer on its own?

“Do you see this? The lake is rippling and as far as I can tell there’s no cause for it,” Anna declared still studying the lake intensely; her eyes begging Lake Luna to give up its secret.

Jim wrapped his arm around Anna’s shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze. “It’s just a lake, Darling. I’m sure the rippling is just from toad jumping in”, Jim reassured her.

Anna knew Jim was only trying to comfort her, but it annoyed her that he wasn’t taking this seriously. She knew she was no expert on nature, but still something was off about this forest. And about this lake. But Anna didn’t want to argue with her husband on their only getaway weekend so instead she gave him her bravest smile and responded sweetly, “You’re right, I was being silly. Let’s just enjoy the hike.”

“That’s my girl.” Jim kissed her forehead and started on the trail again.

Anna glanced back at the lake suspiciously one final time before following her husband.

Anna and Jim made it back to House of Whispering Pines just as the sun’s light was beginning to fade. Even though they had eaten the leftover breakfast muffins, Anna and Jim’s stomachs were still rumbling when they walked up the stairs to the old house.

Waiting to greet them on the other side of the intricately carved wooden door was Mrs. Crandley. She was holding two glasses of dark red wine. If Anna didn’t know better she would’ve assumed it was blood in the glasses.

Jim cheerfully took his glass and thanked Mrs. Crandley before taking a greedy swig of the dark alcohol. A wide, unnerving smile displaying her crooked teeth spread across Mrs. Crandley’s face as she watched Jim take a drink. Anna cautiously grabbed her glass from Mrs. Crandley’s bony fingers. Anna didn’t take a sip of hers until Jim gave her a reassuring nod. Anna slowly lifted the glass to her lips, feeling Mrs. Crandley’s eyes on her. The menacing red liquid burned her throat as it slid down.

“Thank you, Mrs. Crandley, red wine is one of our favorites,” Anna stated with as much steady calmness as she could muster.

“I’m glad you like it, dear. I made it myself,” Mrs. Crandley cawed as she began shuffling to the kitchen.

Jim followed Mrs. Crandley, impatient for dinner to start, leaving Anna alone in the floral wallpapered entryway. The more Anna eyed her thick red wine, the more she lost her appetite.  

By the time Anna took her place at the dining table next to Jim, he and Mrs. Crandley were already digging in. Mrs. Crandley sat on the opposite side twirling spaghetti noodles on her fork. Jim was slathering butter on his garlic bread and recounting their hike to Mrs. Crandley. Anna swirled her noodles around her plate, nibbling on a few bites here and there.

“Do you not like it dear?” Mrs. Crandley asked, interrupting Anna’s thoughts.

“No it’s delicious, I’m just not very hungry,” Anna lied.

“Surely you worked up an appetite on your hike today. Your husband certainly has. Please eat dear, this is way too much food for me to even keep as leftovers,” Mrs. Crandley insisted.

Jim gave Anna an encouraging smile and between that and the pressure from Mrs. Crandley’s stare, Anna stuck a forkful of spaghetti in her mouth. She gave Mrs. Crandley an appeasing grin in hopes that the old woman would stop watching her.

“Have some wine too, dear. I don’t need all of this,” Mrs. Crandley ordered swirling her own glass.

 Anna suspiciously eyed the still full glass of wine before taking a hearty swig of the blood red liquid. It went down like a rock in her throat. Anna continued to eat her spaghetti and drink the wine to appease Jim and Mrs. Crandley. She reminded herself she just needed to make it through the night and then they could race out of here tomorrow morning. Although, if it wasn’t for the wine already causing her head to spin, Anna would leave tonight.

Before Anna could even finish her glass of wine, the alcohol began affecting her mind. The usual drunken dizziness was setting in. She couldn’t seem to get the spaghetti on her fork; her plate seemed to spin in a dizzying array. Anna glanced over at Jim’s now distorted face and noticed he seemed to be having the same problem as her. His eyes were wide in an effort to focus on the task in front of him, but try as he might he couldn’t get so much as a tomato on his fork.

“Jim… I –“but before Anna could finish her sentence, her world went dark.

Anna groggily awoke as she felt a broken stick claw her arm. Anna lifted her eyes to the sky and noticed the stars seemed to be floating past her. Or was she floating past them? The more Anna came to her senses, she felt the rough texture of rope digging into her wrists and ankles and the bumpy forest floor causing bruises and cuts along her back and pulling at her hair. Anna craned her neck to see what was going on, her head pounding. Anna saw her feet being dragged by a slender woman in a floral smock. It was Mrs. Crandley. As Anna lifted her throbbing head even more she realized she was being dragged to the shore of the lake. To her horror she also saw her husband already lifelessly lying on the bank of the lake. Anna desperately wanted to call out for him, but her voice would not make itself known.

Mrs. Crandley roughly dropped Anna’s feet and pushed her next to Jim before she was surprised to realize Anna was awake.

“Oh dear, I was hoping you wouldn’t be awake for this,” Mrs. Crandley mumbled more to herself than to Anna.

Anna stared at Mrs. Crandley frightened. “Awake for what?” Anna managed to croak out.

Mrs. Crandley peered out over the lake, ignoring Anna’s question. The moon glimmered high in the sky like a queen on her throne. Lake Luna reflected the moon’s radiant gleam as the lake began to stir.

Fear and anticipation snapped Anna out of her sleepy state as she heard the rustling of pine trees and watched the slight rippling of the lake turn more aggressive. The water began to lap up on the shore, brushing against Jim who was still passed out cold next to Anna. The pine trees began to violently shake as a dark creature broke the surface of the lake.

“Luna, dinner is ready!” Mrs. Crandley called to the lake.

A monstrous scaly creature with eyes bigger than Anna’s head emerged from the depths of the lake. Its head and long neck was covered in green scales so dark they were almost black and its pale white eyes shone like the moon. Its jaw was more menacing then an alligator with sharp black teeth lining its wide mouth.

“Luna, eat your supper, it’s getting late,” Mrs. Crandley scolded as if she were talking to a dog.

This creature, Luna, swiftly fixated its glowing eyes on Anna and Jim. Anna screamed from the depths of her soul as the creature drew closer to her and her husband. She struggled to free herself from the ropes tied around her but it was no use, they were too tight.

“Sorry dear, but my Luna must be fed,” Mrs. Crandley cawed as she stepped away from Anna. “Eat Luna,” Mrs. Crandley ordered.

The creature unhinged its jaw and in one swift movement swallowed Jim. Anna let out another scream as she helplessly watched her husband get eaten alive by the monster. Anna struggled harder to loosen the ropes around her wrist as her heart pounded faster, but it was too late. Before Anna could even scream, the creature had her in its strong jaws, closing its black teeth around her blocking out the rays of the moon.

“Good girl Luna,” Mrs. Crandley cooed.

The lake monster retreated back to the dark depths of where it had come, leaving Mrs. Crandley on the shore gazing at the calm iridescent reflection of the moon on the still surface of Lake Luna.