FicWad

Thunder crashed in the sky as the young girl huddled in a ball in the corner. A old man stood over her, body quivering in fury.
“Harlot!” He roared at her, “Jezebel! You have brought shame on us. What have you to say for your sin?”
When she didn’t answer, he grabbed her, his fingers digging cruelly into her thin shoulders. He began to shake her so hard, her head snapped back and forth.
“You’re hurting her Abraham,” her grandmother said, running forward as if to stop him.
He glared in her direction, “silence woman,” he said coldly.
Then he turned back to his granddaughter and he dragged her forward so she stood over the crying child she had given birth to.
“See the proof of your sin,” he said.
She shook her head, refusing to look and he grabbed her chin, forcing her to stare at the child.
She screamed in terror at the sight. She had borne the child but it barely appeared human. Its head was deformed and it had cloven feet. When the baby cried, its howls sounded like the cries of a wild animal.
The old man threw his granddaughter on the floor with disgust, then picked up the swathed child. He started toward the door, heedless of the building storm.
“What are you going to do?” Her grandmother asked in a pleading tone and he turned, glaring at her, a look of contempt on his face.
“I’m getting rid of the stigma that Constance has caused this family,” he said, then he disappeared into the driving rain.

“And that was the last time anyone saw Constance Peachey again.” The boy told his captivated audience, his face highlighted in the glow of the campfire.
“What did crazy old Abraham do with the baby?” One of the girls asked, moving unconsciously toward the person sitting next to her.
The boy grinned, “no one knows,” he said in a spooky voice, “some say that he left the baby to die in the woods. But the baby survived and on dark moonless nights like tonight, you can hear his eerie cries echoing through the woods. As he roams around looking for someone to be his friend.”
“That’s a bunch of bull Caleb, and you know it.” A voice said and a young girl stepped forward. “It’s just a old ghost story.”
Caleb’s eyes narrowed and he stood up, facing the girl.
“You wanna bet about that Rene?” He asked, glaring at her.
“Sure,” Rene said folding her arms and glaring back at Caleb.
“I dare you to go up to the old Peachey house and spend an hour there.” Caleb said and he smirked, “I bet you won’t even last ten minutes.”
“Fine,” Rene said, and someone in the crowd gasped.
Caleb pulled out his pocket knife, “take this and stick it in the floor. That way we know for sure that you actually went inside.”
Rene took the knife and put it in her pocket, before disappearing into the dark woods toward the house.
Caleb smirked again and sat down, “she won’t even make it to the house,” he said confidently, and a few of the other kids laughed.


Rene walked slowly through the woods, cursing her big mouth. If she hadn’t said anything Caleb wouldn’t have dared her and she would be back toasting marshmallows at the bonfire.
She heard a twig snap behind her and she froze, looking around in fear. She didn’t see anything so she continued on until she saw the Peachey house in front of her. She walked toward it, then heard the another twig snap, turning around she saw movement through the trees, but it was so fast she couldn’t see what it was.
“Caleb’s trying to scare me,” she thought and squared her shoulders, she wouldn’t let him win. Determinedly she marched up the steps that led to the front porch and walked inside. Opening up the knife she stuck it in the middle of the floor. Turning around she started to walk out the door when she heard the soft pad of footsteps on the front porch.
She flattened herself against the wall, deciding that she was going to scare Caleb when he came through the door.
Finally a shadowy figure stepped into the room and Rene leapt out yelling “BOO!”
She realized it wasn’t Caleb that had come into the house, but a horrible looking man. His deformed head was like an egg and his eyes were lopsided. He grinned at her, revealing teeth that were yellow and crooked.
Rene tried to scream, but all she could get out was a moan, before her knees crumpled and she sank to the ground in a faint.
She woke up later and realized in terror that she was in some sort of cave. She scrambled to her feet and tried to flee, but the man was blocking her escape. He smiled at her and said, “hello forever friend.”