The Legend of The White Woman

“Did you hear that?!”

“I clearly heard the sound of a woman screaming.”

“I heard it, too!”

“Where did you hear it? Was it behind you?”

“I heard it over there. Let’s go see if we can find the source.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why not? That’s what we came out here for.”

“Yeah, but I’ve seen the horror movies. People die when they run toward the noise.”

“Oh, don’t be such a girl, Grace, and keep up! Are you here to capture paranormal activity or are you here for a leisurely stroll through the woods?”

“Stop being such a dude, Abe. I can’t go that fast. My legs are way shorter than yours. Besides, we’re probably scaring away everything within a twenty-mile radius, crashing through the forest like this.”

“Fine. We’ll walk, but I bet you it’s long gone by now.”

“That’s exactly what I just said! We have to be cautious. It’s the middle of the night. We heard a woman scream. And now we’re tromping through the forest toward the noise. We are stupid.”

“That may be, but we still need to find the source of the noise.”

“Can you see the house yet? The map says the house is supposed to be right about here, but I don’t see it anywhere. These flashlights are useless.”

“There’s no moon tonight, that’s all. It’s just darker than normal. The clouds aren’t helping either. I’m sure we’ll see the house soon.”

“No, come here. Look. The map says it’s right here, but I don’t see it anywhere.”

“Maybe the map is wrong. Or maybe the house burned down and is long gone now. All I know is that it’s for sure not here, so let’s keep moving.”

“Fine, but get your GPS out and –“

“What was that?”

“What the hell was that?”

“I’m asking you.”

“It wasn’t me!”

“Hello!”

“HELLO!”

“Seriously, what the hell was that?”

“It sounded like something huge just growled at us. Are there bears in this area?”

“I don’t think so. Maybe?”

“Maybe? Maybe?! Oh, my gosh. We are so going to die out here.”

“Get ahold of yourself. We are not going to die.”

“That’s what everyone says right before they die.”

“You’re being ridiculous. Where’s the map?”

“I’ve got it right here. Get your GPS out so we can get our bearings. I think we’re here, but I want to double-check.”

“We’re heading exactly north. Right on track. Your map reading skills need some work. The house isn’t for another hundred yards at least.”

“Everything looks the same out here. Look around. Can you really blame me?”

“I’m just glad I brought the GPS. It is so freaky out here. Let’s just keep moving. I want to find the house before the sun comes up.”

“Are you sure? It’ll be far less scary in the daylight.”

“The whole point of this trip is to investigate it at night. So yes, I’m sure. Let’s go.”

“Why did I agree to this?”

“Admit it, you were just as curious as I was when we were handed this project. No one’s ever investigated this forest before, let alone the White Woman’s house.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll admit I was a bit excited. I grew up on the legends of the White Woman.”

“Put your GoPro on selfie mode and tell the viewers your version and we’ll see if our stories line up.”

“All right, here hold the map for a second. Don’t wrinkle it like that. Hold on, let me get this thing set up.”

“Just push record. It’s not that complicated.”

“All right, all right. Enough. I’m telling the story.”

“Bout time”

“The legend of the White Woman dates back to the late 1600s when the Salem Witch trials were at the height of their horror. The White Woman was said to have lived in a Puritan village near here. Some say she was a midwife; others say she was an herb gardener. But no matter her occupation, her reality was the same: she was a woman in a time and place where they were considered second class citizens. Their sole purpose in life was to care for their husbands and produce pure-blooded children.”

“You’re a good storyteller.”

“Are you going to let me tell it?”

“Please, continue.”

“Thank you. The White Woman never married despite the village preacher’s urgings. The men seemed to fear her, but the women secretly revered her. The women treated the White Woman as a sort of village healer. They came to her for everything from headache cures to childbirth. This angered the preacher, who believed they simply needed to pray harder and atone for their sins and they would be healthy. So, rather than honor the White Woman for her efforts in keeping the women alive and the children healthy, she was shunned by the very people she had dedicated her life to serving. Fearing her powers were growing beyond control, the preacher destroyed all her herbs and mixtures.

“Angered by the betrayal, the White Woman vowed to get her revenge on the preacher for sowing the seeds of doubt among the women of the village. After which she fled to the very house we are trying to find. She was later found and put to death by stoning right in her own garden. Now she haunts these woods. Never having gotten her revenge, she lashes out at anyone who trespasses on her land.”

“Well, I’m sufficiently creeped out. And right on cue, there’s the house right there.”

“Holy. Cow. Would you look at that? I can’t believe it is still standing. It’s so eerie.”

“No kidding. Listen. Do you hear anything?”

“No. Nothing. You?”

“That’s exactly what I mean. There’s nothing. No animal sounds. No crickets. It’s completely silent. It’s as if even nature itself understands that this place is not a place you want to linger.”

“It’s after midnight, but according to the locals, witching hour is at 3am, so we’ve got a couple of hours until the White Woman is at her strongest. Would you look at the state of the house? Do you think it’s safe to go inside? It looks like it might fall down around us any second.”

“There’s only one way to find out. Let’s go.”

“You go first. If it doesn’t fall down on you, I’ll follow.

“So noble.”

“Wait! Let’s change our camera batteries before we go in. I don’t want to risk missing anything.”

“Good call. Here, let’s put our packs up in this tree. We can camp out here after the investigation.”

“No way! I don’t want to sleep anywhere near this house. We investigate then we hike at least far enough to hear the normal sounds of nature again.”

“Good call. Let’s get some B role while we explore the house. Fresh batteries in the camera. Check. GoPro recording. Check. Recorder running. Check. We’re ready.”

“I already have the goosebumps and we haven’t even gone inside.”

“Me too. This is unreal. Watch your step right there, that step is really rotted.”

“Thanks. Let’s explore the whole house first, then we can start the official investigation.

“Shut the door behind you, but be careful. The hinges are really rusted.”

“Ugh, you’re telling me. That creak was straight out of a B-level horror movie.”

“This main room has obviously been vandalized by partiers and amateur witches.”

“The pentagram is a bit much, don’t you think?”

“The candles really do wonders for the ambiance. Should we light them?”

“No way, dude! Are you crazy? Let’s not do anything even more stupid than we already are.”

“Our fans will want us to.”

“Oh, my dear God in Heaven. I can’t believe I’m agreeing to this. All right, light ‘em up.”

“Wait, let’s finish exploring first. I want to see what’s left of her kitchen. Then I want to see her garden.”

“Look out the window, there is no garden.”

“Yeah, but that’s where she was stoned. I want to see if there are any stones out there that could be connected to her death.”

“Geeze, that’s dark, but okay. Let’s check out the kitchen first.

“Would you look at that?! It’s like something out of Hansel and Gretel. Look at the size of that fireplace. All that’s missing is a huge cauldron for boiling children.”

“Oh, stop! You’re just asking to be attacked by her tonight.”

“Shh! Listen. I thought I heard someone whispering.”

“Where?”

“Just listen to…”

“I hear it too. It’s coming from outside.”

“Come on, let’s go. Crap! Be careful right there, I almost fell through those rotted floorboards.”

“Hold on. I want to get night vision turned on. Turn off your flashlight. Let’s do this right.”

“There it is again!”

“Keep your voice down. Let me do the intro. This is Grace Shaw and I’m here with Abe Jones. This week on Ghost Travels, we’re exploring the home of the White Woman, deep in the forest of Northern Massachusetts. We’re heading out into the garden where we heard whispers. Hopefully, when we go back through our footage, we will be able to discern what was said.”

“We’re entering what might have once been the White Woman’s garden. This is where she is believed to have been stoned to death for witchcraft. A crime she was most likely innocent of.”

“This whole area is very overgrown. There’s debris everywhere. Look! These might be pieces of fencing. And smell this! It’s definitely mint.”

“There it is again! Do you hear it?”

“Oh my goodness. I clearly heard, ‘Stay here.’”

“We’re here. We’re sorry for what happened to you.”

“Are you still angry about –“

“I just heard, ‘Preacher. Evil.’”

“Are you talking about Preacher Samuel? Is he the one who killed you?”

“Yes! She said yes! Holy crap. This is amazing. I think we’re actually talking with the White Woman herself.

“Are we in your garden? Is this where you were stoned to death?”

“Nothing. I don’t hear anything. It feels oppressive here, though. Can you feel the heaviness in the air right here?”

“Yeah, I feel it. There’s rosemary here. And that’s definitely thyme. There’s no doubt about it. We’re in an old garden.”

“Look around you. Do you see any stones?”

“Not yet, but if the legend is true, we’re literally standing in the very place where the White Woman died.”

“Here! Here! Look! More fencing. I think this is the edge of the garden, right here.”

“Let’s set up a night vision camera out here in the garden and head inside to investigate the house. And make sure it can capture the whole area. I don’t want to miss anything.”

“I got it. I got it. There. The edge of the house is here just to the left and right there is where I found the bit of fencing that marks the far corner of the garden.”

“Perfect. Abe and I are inside now, investigating the ruins of the White Woman’s home. We’re here in the kitchen to do an EVP reading. EVP stands for Electronic Voice Phenomena. We are going to ask the White Woman a series of questions and this EVP reader will be able to detect voices that can’t be heard with the human ear.”

“Hello. My name is Abraham. This is Grace. We’re not here to hurt you. We understand that this is your home. We just want to understand what happened here. We only know you as the White Woman. What is your real name?”

“Were you a healer when you were alive?”

“Did you help the people of your village?”

“You were accused of being a witch. Can you tell us the real story?”

“Let’s head into the main room.”

“After you.”

“Let’s light the candles.”

“This seems like a really bad idea, but all right.”

“Holy…”

“What is happening? Why is it doing that? How is it glowing?”

“Don’t ask me. I just lit some candles – what is that? Who are you?”

“That was not a woman’s voice. Can you tell us your…your name?”

“It said, ‘get out.’ I’m blowing out the candles. That was a stupid idea.”

“I clearly heard, ‘kill her.’ I am so freaked out right now. Are we talking to Preacher Samuel right now?”

“Yes! Holy crap. Did you kill the White Woman?”

“I think I just saw someone outside.”

“Go check it out. I’ll stay here and do a solo session. But don’t go far.”

“Is your walkie on?”

“Yep. Go. Now.”

“Hello? White Woman? Are you out here? Was that you that I saw through the window? Do you have something you want to tell me? Why do you attack people who come into these woods? Are you protecting your land?”

“Did you get anything out there?”

“No, nothing. It doesn’t feel oppressive like it did before, either.”

“Nothing in here either. Let’s switch places for another solo session and then call it a night.”

“Sure thing. See you in a few minutes. This is Grace. I’m in the kitchen of the White Woman’s house doing a final solo session while Abe investigates the garden. I’m just going to set the EVP recorder here on the windowsill. White Woman, if you’re here with me right now, could you tell us your name? If you’re here, could you give me a sign? Knock on the wall if you can hear – What the hell? Can you do that again? Knock once more. Holy…Thank you. We’re not here to hurt you. We just want to understand what happened to you. The legends say you were stoned to death – What the hell?! Abe! Get in here! Abe!”

“What is it?! Grace, are you okay?”

“I heard a really loud growl. It came from right outside the front door. I think there’s a bear out there.”

“I would have heard it coming through the trees. Stay behind me. I’ll check it out.

“Be careful!”

“Hey, bear! Ho, bear! I’m opening the door! AAHH! Phew. Nothing. There’s nothing out here.”

“It was so loud, Abe. I swear it.”

“I believe you. What were you talking about just before you heard it?”

“I was speaking to the White Woman. I don’t think she likes being questioned about how she died.”

“White Woman, if that was you, could you make that sound again?”

“How did you die? Were you stoned to – HOLY! You heard that! Tell me you heard that!”

“That was right there! Right outside the door. We’re not here to hurt you. We don’t wish you any harm. We just want to understand what happened to you. Perhaps we can bring you some peace… What. The. Hell. Let’s go check it out.”

“Hello? Is anyone out here? Shoot. My flashlight just went out. It won’t come back on.”

“Crap. Mine just went out. I still have night-vision on my camera. The growling came from over here. Let’s go. Stay close to me.

“I can’t see anything.”

“Just keep your camera rolling. That was insane. There’s got to be something out here. There has to be some explanation for a noise that loud.”

“I can’t see the house anymore. We’ve gone too far. Let’s head back.”

“Where are we? I don’t recognize these woods.”

“What do you mean? Where’s your GPS?”

“In my pack back at the house. Shoot. There goes my camera. Is yours still working? I can’t see anything anymore.”

“What was that. Abe. What was that?”

“Grace! Where are you? Grace!”

“Abe! Abraham! Abe, where are you? Abe? Oh, my gosh. Where are you? ABE! ABE!”

“I’m here! I’m here! Let’s get the hell out of these woods!”

“What happened to you? Where’d you go just now?”

“He doesn’t want us to know the truth.”

“Who doesn’t?”

 “You have to just trust me. We have to leave. Now!”

“We don’t know where we are, Abe. We need to find the house and get our gear.”

“Forget the gear. We have to go. She’s strongest at three. It’s 2:50 right now. We don’t have time. If we go back there, we’re dead.”

“What are you talking about? Why are you acting like this? What happened to you out there?”

“The preacher is here. Or his ghost is here. And he’s being held prisoner by her. She’s getting her revenge tenfold.”

“How do you know this? Abe, you’re not making any sense. Are you telling me you spoke to the preacher? You actually spoke to him?

“Yes. And he warned me to stay away. The White Woman may not have been a witch in life, but he certainly is one now. We have to go.

“Okay. I believe you. But we need our packs. Let’s go get them and we’ll leave right away. The house is right there. I can see it through the trees. If we run, we can make it before three. Let’s go.”

“I got them, let’s go! Run! Now!”

“I can’t keep up. Abe! Slow down! Abe! Please!”

“Come on! We’re not far enough away yet. We’re running out of time.”

“Crap! It’s three. NO! NO! We’re almost there. NO! Grace! I’m sorry! Grace, I’m so sorry!”

“Abe, what is it? Abe? Abe, what’s happening to you? Oh, my god. No…

* * *