Ghost of the Past

           A high-pitched shriek echoed through the isolated, run-down cabin in the Southern end of Grizzly Forest. He was miles from civilization with no signal to call for help on his cellphone, so Steve ran for his 4 x 4 Ford F-250 pick-up truck instead. The noise that scared him out of the cabin sounded like a woman, but there shouldn’t have been another human for at least 5 miles.

           In a panic, Steve misjudges the turn leaving the property and the truck overturns into the ditch and comes to a sudden stop as it collides with a large oak tree. He shakes off the dizziness caused by his head slamming against the steering wheel, then he gets out to assess the damage. Smoke billowed from underneath the hood and the passenger door was now wrapped around the tree. There was no way he was getting the truck out without help, so he walked back towards the cabin. The screams seemed to have subsided, so he walked back inside. All seemed quiet as he walked through the doorway, but he decided to look around. When he was completely satisfied that he was alone, Steve decided to cook up some of the lake trout that he had caught earlier that day.

           As the sun began to set, he sat in a rocking chair on the porch, took a puff of his Marlboro Red, and listened to the sounds of nature. The crickets chirped a musical number like a symphony of violins. Wolves bayed at the full moon as it cast a ghostly image across the rippling lake, and owls called out their haunting hoots. Every once in a while, a lightning bug would shine its posterior then disappear into the darkness again. Boards creaked beneath the legs of the rocking chair as his weight shifted from front to back. Everything felt so serene, and thoughts of his earlier experiences had all but diminished. It wasn’t long before Steve began to doze off in his chair.

           With a sudden start, Steve was awakened. The front door of the cabin swung open and impacted hard against the outer wooden wall. The hinges creaked in disapproval. There was hardly even a breeze outside, so the wind couldn’t have caused it; besides, the door swung outwards so the wind would need to have come from inside. He immediately jumped from his chair, sending it flying backward and overturning. Without setting the chair back onto its legs, Steve approached the door. A cool breeze crossed his face as he rounded the corner into the interior of the cabin, then another cool breeze shot across the back of his neck. Steve swatted at the coldness as if it were a mosquito searching for a vein to penetrate.

           Slowly, he crept through the cabin, looking into closets and under the bed. He was certain that something was happening, but he could not yet understand exactly what that something was. Another shriek came from what seemed to be under the floorboards. Steve bolted out the door once again but stopped quickly at the bottom of the steps on the porch when he realized something very unusual. All of nature’s sounds that he had heard earlier were now gone and replaced with an eerie silence. Not even the sound of rustling leaves was audible. It was then that he felt a tightness in his chest and back. When he turned back toward the cabin, a horrific apparition appeared before him. A tattered greyish garment hung loosely on what seemed to be a woman, though her face was disfigured with her mouth hanging open wider than normal. With darkness behind what once could have been her eyes, the void seemed to be drawing him in and Steve felt terror fill his mind. His thoughts started reeling and he began seeing images of years gone by; a past that he had since forgotten.

           It was twenty years earlier, and Steve had convinced a young college student to go away with him to his parent’s cabin. He was a popular student, especially with the ladies, though this was the first time that Steve had ever invited any girl up to the cabin and it made Marybeth feel special.

           Marybeth was a Philosophy major with a minor in Spiritualism. Steve found their conversations titillating, to say the least. He was intrigued by Marybeth’s intellect and thought that she would enjoy an escape from the hustle and bustle of the city life. The catch, however, was that her father was Dean of Admissions at the college so she had to tell him that she was spending the weekend with one of her girlfriends instead. She hated to lie to her father, but Marybeth’s hormones were thinking for her instead of her brain.

           It was a beautiful September morning when they made the trip up to Grizzly Forest. The sun was shining brightly in the pale blue sky and bald eagles soared high above the tops of the tall pines that lined the highway. They pulled off Route 4 and headed down a gravel road with a sign marked “PRIVATE PROPERTY: KEEP OUT” which had faded after years of being beaten on by the weather. Anyone passing by the road would have missed it if they didn’t know it was there. The private road took them through a tunnel of trees that seemed to be embracing their fellow barked brothers and sisters standing like sentinels along the way. When the finally reached a clearing about ¼ mile into the bush, Marybeth spotted the cabin for the first time. It looked weathered but cozy. You might say that it had a rustic charm to it. Two canoes laid upsidedown upon the right side of the building; one was an old birch bark canoe and the other was a more modern fiberglass boat. A tool shed stood further down the property. It was made to match the cabin with its faded brown wooden siding and peaked, mossy roof. The property ended at a small lake where a 20-foot wooden dock floated along with the rippling water.

           Steve brought Marybeth inside first and asked her to wipe down the counter while he brought in the groceries and suitcases. She could tell that the cabin had not been used in quite some time because several cobwebs dangled from the rafters above and at least a month-worth of dust had been collected upon the counters and furniture. Marybeth suggested that before the food comes in, that they should give the cabin a quick clean instead, which they did together.

           She was intrigued by the craftsmanship of an ornate fireplace at the back of the living room. The opening appeared to be set at irregular angles and a set of antlers, possibly from a deer hung above it. The mantle was made from a thick piece of oak and had been stained dark brown. It was unique-looking but not ugly.

           After they settled in and got unpacked, Steve took Marybeth down to the water for a swim. Afterward, they soaked up some sun for a while and then went back in for another swim to cool off. The air was beginning to get chilly as the sun started to set, so Steve built a fire in the fireplace, laid a thick blanket across the floor, poured two glasses of Cabernet Sauvignon, and the couple cuddled by the fire as it popped and crackled. The flame’s light shimmied across the walls and created shadows that danced with joy around the two guests.

           The scene was so romantic in Marybeth’s eyes, that she leaned over and passionately caressed his lips with hers. He gladly accepted her kiss and responded with another. The two removed each other’s clothing and made love upon the soft blanket. The heat from the fire was uncomparable to the heat that their bodies had created. When they finished, they cuddled until they fell asleep in each other’s arms.

           In the morning, Marybeth was surprised to wake up and find that Steve was no longer beside her. She called out his name, but there was no answer. She threw on her oversized grey-colored t-shirt, walked to the door, and opened it up. She still didn’t see him, but the car was still there, so she knew he couldn’t have gone far. A noise caught her attention. It seemed to be coming from the tool shed, so she slipped on her flip-flops and walked over. The morning air was still brisk, so she held on tight to the few clothes that she wore.

           Before she could knock, the door to the tool shed had swung open hitting hard against her forehead. Marybeth lay motionless upon the ground and Steve, still in shock stared down in panic. He wasn’t sure what to do. There was no cellphone coverage in that area, so he couldn’t call for help, and the closest hospital was in a city thirty minutes away. He searched for a pulse but had no first aid training and wasn’t sure if he had done it correctly. Steve scooped up her lifeless body, carried her into the cabin, and laid her on the couch. There was still no movement from Marybeth and Steve started to believe that he had killed her. He stared at the gash on her forehead which now had a trail of blood leading down onto her face and across her neck. He was afraid to bring her to a hospital because he was afraid that he would get thrown in jail. Then he thought about it and realized that they didn’t tell anyone that they were going up there that weekend, so if he was to make her body disappear, then nobody would ever know what happened.

           Steve removed a four-foot by eight-foot section of the floorboards and began to dig a hole in the hardened earth below the cabin. When he had made a hole that was four-feet deep, he wrapped her body in a plastic shower curtain liner and rolled her into the shallow grave. Once the hole was filled back in with dirt, he replaced the floorboards and started driving back home.

           Steve was released from the trance-like state he was in and found himself back at the cabin twenty years later staring into the face of a ghost who he now knows was once a girl he had fallen for back in college. It was the girl that he had buried under the cabin right below where he now stood. He had suppressed those memories and had forgotten about that day until the spirit reminded him.

           A voice spoke from the floating phantom. It sounded distant and reverberated as if it were speaking in a large, empty room. The spirit of Marybeth informed Steve that she was not dead when he had buried her that day. When she did awaken and found herself wrapped in plastic, it was too late because she could already feel the weight of the dirt pressing down upon her chest until she could no longer breathe. She had been stuck in that cabin ever since, not able to leave until her body was recovered and the truth was told.

           With fear now engulfing Steve, he agreed to the terms of the ghost. Over the next few hours, he was able to exhume the body from under the floorboards. What was left, was nothing but hair and bones, so he carefully removed them still wrapped in a decaying plastic curtain. He then took a blanket and wrapped it around the plastic for more stability and laid it on the floor by the fireplace.

           Using his four-wheel ATV, he was able to ride up the road to the next home off of Route 4 and called for a tow truck. When he returned to the cabin, he carried the skeletal remains over to the truck and placed it into the box then closed and locked the cover. When the tow truck arrived, he had the truck towed to the next city where it was brought to a garage for repair. A few days later, it was driveable once again and he drove it back to the city where Marybeth’s parents once lived. They had passed on, but her sister was still living in the same home. Instead of going to see her though, Steve kept his promise and went to the police station where he told them the whole story about what had happened twenty years earlier. He left out the part of the apparition though because he didn’t think they would believe it anyway. He hardly believed it himself.

           Steve was taken into custody and the police went to Marybeth’s childhood home to tell her sister that the remains had been recovered and that she could finally be given a proper burial.

           For his part in her demise, Steve faced the next twenty years in prison for second-degree murder. He was surprised to find out that Marybeth’s sister spoke up in court on his behalf and thanked him for finally coming forward with the truth and allowing her family to have closure. With her recommendation, Steve’s sentence was reduced to ten years with a chance of parole after three years.

           One night, while sleeping in his prison cell, Steve had a dream of Marybeth, but this one didn’t scare him. Instead, he had visions of the woman that he once shared a wonderful night with, and in the dream, she thanked him and forgave him for what he had done. From that day forth, he was never visited by her ghost again.

The End.