Beatrice Millstone didn’t mind babysitting Darcy. The child was quiet and resting, which gave her time to watch the latest reality TV shows. Despite being sixty-eight and the fact that most people would describe her as a retired schoolteacher who looked like an old governess out of a BBC period piece, Beatrice loved reality TV. The unabashed manner of the subjects doing horrible things to one another while confessing it all to their unseen audience—were just delicious tidbits for a woman whose life was as exciting as a bowl of celery.
She watched as many shows as she could and tried to keep up on the episodes so that she didn’t miss a beat.
That’s why poor Beatrice didn’t quite notice at first that something wasn’t right in the Walker house. In fact, the transformation began almost as soon as Ted pulled out of the driveway.
For starters, the door to Darcy’s bedroom had begun to pulse. Initially, the wood strained in such a subtle way that it was nearly impossible to see, but as the minutes ticked away, the door began to breathe, pushing itself out and then sucking itself in.
A dark cloud formed in the air near the master bathroom and was now slowly traveling down the hall.
Back in the living room, Beatrice laughed loudly at a crude joke told by one of the characters of the show “Boston Mafia Moms”.
Despite the fact that she was flitting in and out of sleep, Darcy was aware that something was happening. In her semi-conscious state, she was finding it difficult to breathe, and it felt as if her body was somehow sinking into the mattress. These feelings made her thrash more fervently to pull out of the hole that seemed to want to suck her in.
While Darcy fought with an unseen force, a series of dark clouds began to rise from the bed. At first, they were jumbled without much form. But slowly they began to form into perfect spheres that floated to the door and then passed right through it, into the hallway.
Beatrice was deeply immersed in the show and didn’t see the series of six clouds floating toward her. She was cackling at the reality show, which was now broadcasting a large fight between two of the mafia mothers. The women were lunging at each other over a trendy bar table, and for some reason Beatrice found that hilarious.
Suddenly the television flickered, filled with static, and then went totally black.
“What the hell?” Beatrice asked aloud, checking the back of the television to see if maybe the electrical cord had been disconnected. Everything looked ok, but when she stood up straight, she was shocked to see a young boy standing in the hallway.
Not sure what to do, the elderly woman cleared her throat and carefully asked, “Young man, what are you doing here? Are you friends with Darcy?”
The child giggled and moved closer. Beatrice thought his mannerisms were odd and a spike of fear plunged into her chest.
“What’s your name?” she asked quickly, trying to think of something to say.
The child spoke, but his voice sounded like a series of voices merged together in one terrifying blend.
“I am one and many. I am from pain and death. And I am from the woods. We are here to seek souls.”
The child threw his head back and laughed.
The sound pierced Beatrice’s ears and she held on to them while trying to back away farther. She felt a sharp pain, and then warmth emanating from her right earlobe, and when she moved her hand away it was covered in blood.
“Please,” she whispered.
But the strange child wasn’t listening and continued to approach. Beatrice noticed that he was wearing odd clothes that looked like they’d come from another time and place. She vaguely remembered seeing the type of clothing worn in European countries, but couldn’t place the location exactly.
She continued backing up until she was flush against the wall and there was nowhere to go. The boy approached her stealthily, his pace even and calm. Instead of grabbing for her, he put out a small, dirty hand.
Beatrice had no choice. She couldn’t strike a child, even though she knew he wasn’t normal. Maybe holding his hand would demonstrate that she wasn’t going to hurt him?
She tentatively reached out and grasped his hand.
Then the world disappeared.
The train at the intersection by his house always took forever, and for some reason Ted always managed to get stuck at the light just as it approached.
This was one of those days.
As he sat in his car, he thought about what he’d learned at “Bed Palace”. If the Kirchlengern Woods really were haunted, was it possible that the bed had somehow soaked up evil? Ted wasn’t a big believer in the boogeyman or things that went bump in the night, but given the past few weeks, he wasn’t inclined to rule anything out.
Strange things were happening…and it had all started when they’d purchased the bed.
I’ve got to get rid of it.
As soon as the thoughts tumbled through his mind, the railroad gates lifted, signaling the end of the train interruption. Ted waited with bated breath and then slammed on the gas pedal as soon as he was able to pass. His car shot out into the intersection and nearly got sideswiped, but he didn’t even glance around.
He had one purpose.
To get home as quickly as possible.
When the house finally came into view, Ted was relieved that everything looked normal. He parked the car and got out quickly, rushing to the front door and opening it as fast as he could.
“Hello?” he shouted, “Beatrice, is everything ok?”
There was no response, which he found odd. As he walked into the living room, he noticed that the TV was on and a plate of cookies rested on the couch. But Beatrice was nowhere to be found.
After shouting her name several times, it was clear that she was gone. Ted was irritated that she had left Darcy alone in the house and he went to his daughter’s room, praying that everything was ok. When he opened the door, he was relieved to see that Darcy was indeed asleep. But she was tossing and turning while murmuring in her sleep.
Ted walked over and touched her forehead. It was warm and sweaty—signs of a fever. He decided to try to wake her up and get her to take some medicine. If she didn’t get better soon, he’d be taking her to the doctor.
“Darcy,” he whispered. “It’s time to wake up. Come on, honey, you’ve got to take some medicine.”
The little girl moaned and slowly opened her eyes. She seemed disoriented and unclear as to where she was.
“Daddy?”
“Yes, honey. Let’s take some medicine to get rid of your fever and then you can go back to bed. Or, I can make you some soup.”
“No soup,” she moaned. “Don’t feel well. The boy…he scares me.”
“What boy are you talking about?”
Darcy opened her eyes and stared directly at him.
“The boy from my dreams.”
Ted was able to get a spoonful of medicine into his daughter and forced her to drink some water. She dutifully followed his request, but remained quiet and distant. Once he had mopped her face with some cool water and laid her back in bed, Ted tried to talk to her before she fell asleep once more.
“Darcy, do you know where Ms. Beatrice is? She wasn’t here when I got home.”
The child didn’t say anything, but looked out into the distance. She seemed distraught, but wouldn’t answer him, so he tried again.
“Darcy, please tell me where Ms. Beatrice is.”
Suddenly, she whipped her head around and answered angrily, “I don’t know. Stop asking me. You’re pissing me off!” And with that, she fell back on the bed and closed her eyes.
Ted sat still, shocked to hear the venom-filled words fall from his daughter’s lips. She’d never spoken to him that way before, and he couldn’t fathom where she’d found the inspiration to speak to him in such a harsh way. But she was asleep once more, her chest rising and falling gently, snores coming from her mouth.
He rose from the bed uncertainly and decided that it was time to call Peter.
Reverend Peter Fallen was a longtime friend of the family’s. He’d gone to college with Ted and after school and a multitude of one-night stands, disillusioned by the world around him, Peter had decided that the church was his true calling. This came as a sincere surprise to Ted, who couldn’t imagine his wild friend ever settling down and dedicating himself to religion. But Peter had gone all the way and was now leading his own church not far from where the Walkers lived.
Ted knew that Peter was familiar with demons and that despite his devout faith, he was aware that evil things existed. In fact, there had been numerous debates between them about whether or not God really existed and was there such a thing as ghosts or spirits. Peter had always vehemently and staunchly stood his ground as it related to the topic. He believed that life was multi-layered and that sometimes the unexplained came to reside within the logical world, creating a very “bad situation” if handled improperly.
Beatrice was missing, but Ted didn’t feel like searching for her. He was actually quite aggravated that she had left Darcy alone. He couldn’t imagine what would have possessed her to do something so irresponsible, but his immediate priority was to get some answers and figure out what was happening.
He dialed Peter’s number quickly and was relieved when his friend answered it on the third ring.
“Hey, Ted. Good to hear from you. What’s up?”
“Peter, I need your help. There’s something wrong with Darcy.” Ted couldn’t quite make himself admit that he was afraid of a bed. He thought Peter would just laugh at him and tell him to see a shrink.
“What do you mean there’s something wrong with Darcy? Is she ok?” Peter asked, his voice rising in concern.
Ted hesitated and then decided to be as honest as possible. “There’s something going on with her. I’m not sure what it is, but she might be possessed or dealing with something evil.”
Silence answered him on the other end.
“I’ll be right over.”
As he waited for Peter to arrive, Ted paced the house nervously. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but the air in the home felt electric with tension. Every now and then, he thought he saw something dark and flitting, out of the corner of his eye, but when he turned around, nothing was there.
He continued to check in on Darcy. She was still asleep, more calm this time but something still wasn’t right. Her skin was pale and dark circles were emerging underneath her small eyes. Once in a while she turned over and moaned. Sometimes she actually smiled, which frightened Ted more than anything.
Finally, he heard a car pull up to the driveway and could vaguely make out the familiar music that his friend always listened to. The whiny voice of Bob Dylan carried through the air, and despite his immediate situation, Ted had to smile because it was the same music he’d been forced to listen to for four straight years of college.
Peter was dressed in plain clothes and looked like an older version of the impish, mischievous pain in the ass he’d been all through school. But his eyes were serious, and as he approached the house he removed a crucifix from his coat and held it tightly. Something about the situation had him immediately on edge.
After the two men greeted each other, Ted led him into the house. Peter paused for a minute and looked around, but didn’t sense anything immediately dangerous. He sat down at the kitchen table and asked Ted to share what had happened.
Ted figured he had nothing to lose and recounted the past several weeks, beginning with the bed and finishing with his visit to “Bed Palace” and Beatrice’s strange disappearance.
“Ted, I think you’ve got yourself into a bit of trouble. I know all about the Kirchlengern Woods. More specifically, the cliff.”
“The cliff?” Ted tried to remember his dreams and couldn’t recall anything about a cliff.
“Yes, the cliff. The whole place is haunted, but they say the cliff is the epicenter of all evil. I’ve never been there, but people steer clear of that place. There are all sorts of bad stories—everything from reanimated dead animals to hauntings—some people have even disappeared after a visit to those woods. One of the most popular stories is about a father and son who became possessed and stabbed each other to death. Some people even say they haunt the woods and will possess you if you aren’t careful. And you say that Darcy’s bed was found there?”
Ted explained how his daughter’s bed was found in a cabin nestled deep within the woods. He shared the strange dreams haunting his nights and the fact that Darcy seemed to be getting stranger by the minute.
“I think her bed may have belonged to that child who was killed. The one who haunts the woods with his father. What do I do?” he asked, his voice now trembling in fear.
Pete looked off into the distance, his brow furrowed in concentration. “Well, the easiest thing is to just return the damned thing.”
Ted was surprised that his friend was cursing, but Pete waved it off and continued, “It is a damned thing. And I’m not just flinging curse words around. That piece of furniture is carrying some of the evil from the woods and you’ve got to get rid of it.”
Suddenly, a scream interrupted their conversation.
It was Darcy.
When Beatrice opened her eyes, she was shocked to find herself deep in a massively wooded area. The trees towered around her in a strangely threatening manner, and despite being in the midst of a relatively calm scene, she felt uneasy.
The boy was still holding her hand and he tugged on it gently, leading her through the woods. She didn’t really want to follow the strange child, but found that her feet simply followed him a robotic fashion. He didn’t look at her and walked straight ahead with confident forward strides. In fact, she had a hard time keeping up with him as he swept through the woods.
They finally reached a spot deep within the darkening foliage where the ground jutted out into the form of a strange cliff and then dropped off. It wasn’t extremely steep, and the ground beneath it was full of leaves and dirt. But the entire area made Beatrice feel…bad.
The boy finally dropped her hand and giggled as he ran off into the trees. Beatrice stood still for a moment, unsure as to where to go. The woods hung thick around her and there were no paths to follow.
She began to cry. The entire ordeal was too much for her. Walking to the edge of the cliff, she looked down at the dirt and leaves below and chose to sit on the edge. Her legs hanging over, she put her head into her hands and sobbed.
She cried for several minutes, but was interrupted by the sound of a whisper in her ear.
Come join us.
Beatrice jumped up and swung her head from left to right, but there was no one there.
Someone giggled.
She turned around again and saw the little boy standing at the foot of the cliff. He looked up at her with a devilish grin that revealed a set of small teeth hidden by plump lips. Beatrice thought he almost resembled an angel with his blond hair and smooth skin. But there was something reflecting back in his dark eyes that wasn’t pure.
She decided that it was worth trying to talk to him, because otherwise she might be lost forever in the fantastical woods. After all, he’d brought her here. So she felt he owed it to her to at least explain what the hell they were doing way out here in the middle of nowhere.
“Hey,” she called out. “What are we doing here?”
The child spoke and this time, he sounded normal, though with a strong German accent. “We’re in a special place. These are the Kirchlengern Woods.”
“How did we get here? Where are your parents?” Beatrice found herself babbling and felt a little ridiculous.
The boy laughed. “We belong here. All you have to do is step off the cliff and you’ll be free.”
Step off the cliff? Is he mad?
But to her horror, Beatrice realized that her legs were no longer listening to her brain. Her entire body had begun to move forward to the edge of the cliff. Breathing hard, she tried to fight against it, to push in the other direction. But her body simply wasn’t responding to her requests. A trickle of urine dripped down her leg as mortal fear washed over her.
The rocks tumbled past as her feet shuffled forward. The leaves crunched underneath her shoes and cackled in the air. Beatrice was now standing at the edge of the cliff, looking down. It wasn’t a big drop, but she had a feeling that she would fall far beyond the ground if she stepped off the cliff.
I’ve got to try not to fall, she thought desperately. I’ve got to hold on…Somehow I’ve got to hold on…
But it was too late. She was too close to the edge and there was nowhere to go. And as her foot connected with the empty air, Beatrice heard her screams evaporate.
As she’d feared, the ground never rose up to meet her. Instead, she continued falling until it felt like the skin was being ripped off her body and her bones were being crushed by an iron fist.
After the searing pain, all went dark…but Beatrice’s silent screams echoed through the forest like hungry birds in search of prey.