That was the rumor, going about the small town of Normandy in hushed whispers. Strange entities calling out from the trees in sweet tunes to the forlorn children at Edith’s Orphanage, songs only the children said sounded lovely but to the caretakers sounded melancholic and made them uneasy. They only came whenever the weather changed, when the trees dropped their leaves to let them wither, clouds graying up the sky, the bitter cold fog creeping its way over the lake and towards the old, frail houses dotting the hills and fields surrounding town square. Daniel stood there, at the edge of the train tracks, and peered towards the town center. Pale women bundled up in their shawls hurried up along the street and the baker began to shut up his windows for the evening. Everything seemed doused in such bleak colors that it seemed more of a ghost town rather than the popular fishing town it once was.
“This place really must be gripped in fear.” Daniel whispered to himself. He pulled out his pocket watch. 6:21 pm. He tucked it back into his coat pocket and shivered slightly. He had been sent by the lead detective of his home city 30 miles away to investigate the case of missing Normandy children, his first time alone without a more experienced partner. He felt confident, sure that he could put the simple people of this small town at ease by coming up with a logical explanation. He looked at each building one by one until he found the sign he was looking for; Wandering Horse Inn. Picking up his suitcase, he began to head towards it, holding his scarf up to his nose to shield it from the frigid breeze. He walked up to the door, the street was silent, but he could hear clinking of glasses within the Inn’s dimly lit interior. He opened the door and was hit with air that was warmer than the outside autumn air, and quickly, he entered and closed the door behind him to keep the warmth inside. He looked around the sparse hallway, a coat rack stood to the right of him across from a dusty staircase, each step darker than the last leading up to an unlit portion of the Inn. He turned his eyes swiftly away from the dark abyss of the second story and his heart jumped a bit when he spotted his own reflection in the mirror to his left. He quickly relaxed after realizing it was himself, and he took a moment to straighten out his appearance, fixing his blue scarf to where the ends hung evenly down to his waist. Mumbles could be heard in the room straight ahead, so he took a breath and walked into it. Two men sat at a bar in the back of what appeared to be a dining hall, a small fire crackling in the fireplace to the right. They turned when Daniel entered, looking at him with grumpy, tired gazes, then both turned back around, tending to their meager bowls of what was presumably some sort of stew.
“Betty, you got a visitor!” One of the men yelled out into a doorway leading into a room further back.
“I’ll be out in a moment, stop yellin’!” a rather hoarse voice called out from the same doorway. They were all silent for a moment, except for the quiet slurping of the men’s meal. Daniel looked around the room, dust covered most of the tables, the bar was lit by two lanterns and a small candle. He finally decided to sit down between the two men, setting his suitcase to his side. They didn’t seem to acknowledge him, continuing instead to eat and drink slowly yet steadily.
“Doesn’t seem this town gets many visitors.” Daniel said, resting his right arm on the bar. The man to his left grunted.
“Not anymore, and I don’t blame ‘em.” he huffed, not looking up from his soup.
“Why’s that?” Daniel asked. The man dropped his spoon into the bowl and looked at him, his sagging face covered in a disgruntled expression. Daniel looked back at him, unwavering, and the man chuckled a few times before going back to his food.
“Those damn ghost witches. Takin’ those bastard children into the woods. People are too spooked. I thought everyone knew about the Normandy ghost witches.” he said. Daniel held back a smirk. He knew in his line of work that the more fearful and simple people were, the more supernatural their explanations of seemingly unexplained events would be.
“What can you tell me about these… ghost witches?” Daniel asked, turning his body towards the man and giving him his full attention. The man straightened his back, and let out a rumbled sigh.
“It’s been happening since I was a kid, three witches taking kids that ain’t got no mama or daddy, luring them with ghost-like voices. Nobody really knows what they want the children for, but the children don’t wanna leave ‘em. They never come back. The more kids they take, the louder they get. When I was young, you could only hear them if you was close to the forest, but now the whole damn town can hear them. Three kids go every time with the cold. They’re s’posed to been calling in some detective from the city, to try and see if he can figure out what the heck is going on. Well, we know what’s going on; ghost witches.” he said, then proceeded to take big gulps out of his glass.
“Okay,” Daniel cleared his throat, and then, trying not to sound too skeptical, said, “Where did these mystery ghost witches com from?” Suddenly, the other man spoke.
“Only Tommy knows that, and Tommy don’t talk about it. Tommy barely talks at all since he came back.” the man said. Daniel turned towards him, the man stared back with big, aching eyes. He was so thin that his clothes visibly hung from him.
“Came back from where?” Daniel asked.
“The woods. Back from the ghost witches. He just walked out one day, out from them trees, in clothes tattered and too small. They took him when he was a kid, and for some reason, he’s the only one who came back. He looked confused, and wouldn’t say a word. He only told us his name was Tommy. Whenever we asked him about the witches, he just stared back and shook his head. He’s the only one who knows and he won’t say a word about it.” the man replied.
“Where’s Tommy now?” Daniel asked.
“We let him live in that little shack at the end of Creek Road. Nobody really wanted to take him in, him being around the witches and whatnot, you don’t really want that evil energy around your home, you know? So we let him stay there, taught him how to chop wood so he could work a bit. He seems okay now. We just keep our distance from him.” the man replied. Daniel was about to ask another question when a short, plump woman can huffing out of the door in the back, carrying with her a big pot filled nearly to the brim with the same stew the two men had been eating. She set the pot down and a table behind the bar and turned back around to look at Daniel. She had bushy eyebrows and frizzy hair, mouse brown with streaks of gray pulled back into a messy bun. She looked him up and down, then folded her arms.
“You that detective Daniel Sommers that’s comin’ to find them kids?” she asked, her voice croaking out like that of a bullfrog. The two men dropped their spoons into their bowls and looked up at him. Daniel sat there quietly for a few moments before answering.
“Yes, I am. I reserved a room here for three nights.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a roll of cash. The woman raised her eyebrows, then eagerly snatched the money from his hand, stuffing it into a pocket on her apron. She grinned widely, revealing an assortment of browned teeth, some of which were missing.
“Well Mr. Sommers, my name is Betty Barnes, and welcome to Normandy. Would you like some potato soup?” Her tone was more enthusiastic than what it had been before, albeit still raspy. He peeked behind her at the obscure liquid bubbling in the pot she had just set down.
“Actually, I ate while I was on the train, so no thank you.” he said with a polite smile.
“Alrighty then, I guess I’ll show you up to your room so you can settle on in.” she said, and picked up a lantern and began walking around the bar. Daniel stood up, picked up his suitcase and turned, ready to walk with Betty back to the room with the staircase when the thin man grabbed his arm. Daniel looked back at him, and saw the man’s expression had become one of fear.
“Don’t go into the woods when you hear them.” he uttered anxiously, eyes staring back straight into Daniel’s. Daniel stood there for a moment not sure of what to say. This man really was afraid.
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Daniel spoke calmly back. The man slowly let go of Daniel’s arm without looking away. Daniel followed behind Betty, looking back only once at the frightened, thin man who didn’t turn his gaze away until after Daniel had left the room. Betty walked up the stairs, each step groaning out as she climbed them. Daniel looked up the stairs, now that the sun had set, it seemed darker than before. A lump formed in his throat and he waited for Betty to reach the top so that her lantern illuminated the hallway above. He then climbed the stairs and followed her into a room to the left. The air felt colder in there, and smelled musty as if it hadn’t been used in quite some time. Betty struck a match and struggled to light a lantern setting on a table next to the bed.
“You don’t get electricity here?” Daniel asked.
“I wish,” Betty snorted, “That’d be a dream come true. Nah, we just got these lanterns and candles. I can give you some matches and a candle or two in case you need ‘em.”
“That would be good, thank you.” he said. Betty finally got the lantern lit and Daniel peered around the room. Cobwebs occupied all four corners and the pink quilt covering the bed looked stiff from years of laying across a bed that hadn’t been slept in. Betty left a box of matches on a dresser and pulled out a drawer containing three unused candles. She placed them in the various candle stick holders located around the room, then turned towards Daniel.
“Anything else I can get for ya?” She asked wiping the dust off her hands.
“I think I’m fine for now, thank you.” Daniel replied.
“The bathroom is right across the hall from you. We don’t have electricity in this old place, but we did manage to get indoor plumbin’. Cost a pretty penny but we managed back when the fishin’ was good and popular. Well then, have a good night.” she said, smiling widely, and bustled out of the room closing the door behind her. Daniel lifted his suitcase and tossed it onto the bed causing a cloud of dust to erupt into the air. He fanned it away with a sneeze and opened the beige case, rummaging around until her found his journal. He sat down on the bed beside the case, another dust cloud rising around him, and opened his journal to where he had stuck his pen. The light of the lantern wasn’t terribly bright, so he struggled to read his case notes. He turned back to his suitcase and began searching again. He pulled out his flashlight, one he had kept with him for years and had proved handy, and comforting, through many a late night investigation. He turned it on, holding it in the crook of his neck with his head pinned to his shoulder to keep it steady. He began to read.
- Normandy missing children case - 18+ years of children going missing each year - townspeople blame some superstitious legend in hysteria - all children missing are from Edith’s Home for Children and are orphaned - most likely explanation: children are living together in the woods due to unhappy conditions at orphanage and are recruiting the other children to come with them - goals: locate the children’s whereabouts, convince them to come back to the town, investigate living conditions of orphanage for child abuse/endangerment/neglect.-
Daniel began running his left hand through his hair and writing down everything the two men downstairs had told him in the journal. He planned to find Tommy the next morning to see if he could get any answers from him. Maybe, Daniel thought, Tommy had become too old to keep living with the kids in the forest, and they excommunicated him from the group. Daniel began to wonder how many children there could possibly be living out there. It had to be around fifty, and it would make sense that the singing or humming would get louder each year if there were more children making the noise. This was probably one of the strangest cases he had ever taken on, but he still felt confident in his abilities, and if he could solve the case within the three days he was here, it would look incredibly good to the higher-ups at the agency. He closed his journal, placed it on the nightstand, and began getting ready for bed. Switching into night clothes, and freshening himself up in the tiny bathroom across the hall, which was slightly less dusty than his bedroom, Daniel went through all the questions he wanted to ask Tommy in his head. He stood beside the bed and tenderly folded up his blue scarf, then laid it on the pillow opposite his. He laid there quite some time before falling asleep, snickering softly at the term ghost witch before finally dosing off.
The next morning, he was awakened by an oddly sickening smell of food being cooked downstairs. He got dressed, packing his flashlight within an inner pocket of his coat, being sure to carry extra batteries. He threw his blue scarf around his neck and headed back downstairs to the dining hall. Betty had attempted to make eggs and bacon, which Daniel politely ate, drinking copious amounts of water with it. He then headed out into a bitter, chilly drizzle in search of Creek Road and Tommy’s shack. He wandered for a bit, looking for someone to ask for directions. He finally found an old farmer carting some hay outside of the town square who pointed him towards a dirt road leading towards the lake. Daniel began trudging down it, getting an rather profuse amount of mud on his loafers. At the end of a seemingly never-ending line of bushes and trees, he saw a dilapidated tiny building. He was a bit surprised by how little the shack actually was, it appeared to be some makeshift get-away cabin for some angler looking to stay a night beside the lake. It had a small chimney that stuck up slightly higher than the shambled roof, a small amount of smoke rising out of it. Luckily, it seemed like Tommy was home. Daniel walked up to the rather small wooden door and gave three light knocks on it. After a few moments, the door cracked open, and an eye peered out at Daniel.
“Hello, I’m detective Daniel Sommers. If you’re Tommy, I’d like to ask you some questions if I may.” Daniel said, smiling at whoever’s eye was staring back at him. The eye looked him up and down, and slowly, the door creaked open wider revealing a young, frail man with a boyish face, dirty blonde hair and dressed in simple clothes, slightly over-sized with a few stains and holes here and there. The young man beckoned Daniel inside. Daniel quickly tried to wipe as much mud as possible off his shoes, then stepped inside. The small shack was actually incredibly tidy, with a small cot in the left corner, tattered blankets laid neatly across it. An incredibly small fireplace stood in the middle of the right side wall, stacks of firewood piled up high on either side. An old table sat in the middle of the shack with two, mismatched chairs on opposite ends.
“So, I’m guessing you’re Tommy?” Daniel asked. The young man nodded his head and pulled out one of the chairs, gesturing for Daniel to take a seat. Daniel thanked him and sat down. Tommy then walked to the other chair and sat down, putting his hands on his knees and looking nervously back up at Daniel.
“You don’t have to be nervous, you’re not in any trouble.” Daniel said, smiling at Tommy. He smiled back a small, timid smile. Daniel continued, “I’m just in town trying to find some answers about the children missing from Edith’s. Now, I’ve been told that you don’t talk very much, so I’ll try to make my questions very simple. You can just nod your head yes, or shake your head no for me. Sound good?” Tommy looked visibly uncomfortable, and he nervously began rubbing his knees. He nodded cautiously, an anxious expression on his face.
“That’s good, thank you.” Daniel said, trying to keep his tone as encouraging as possible. “Now, you used to live at Edith’s Home for Children a long time ago, when you were a kid right?” Tommy nodded his head. Daniel kept going, “Was it bad there? Were the people who took care of you mean?” Tommy furrowed his brow and shook his head.
“Okay… what about the other kids? Were they mean, or did they bully you?” Tommy shook his head more fervently. Daniel frowned, and tried to think of the best way to phrase his next question.
“Did you willingly go into the forest and live there for years?” Tommy looked at Daniel and slowly nodded his head.
“Were there other kids who lived in the woods with you?” Tommy nodded, now staring down at his legs, rubbing his hands on his knees slower than before.
“Was it just you kids out there?” Daniel asked quietly.
“Who else was out there?”
Tommy stopped rubbing his knees. He slowly lifted his eyes to meet Daniel’s.
“Our mamas.” Tommy’s voice trembled.
Tommy then started to look visibly upset, tears began to well up in his eyes.
“It’s okay, Tommy.” Daniel whispered back. Daniel’s mind started racing, maybe there was some truth to the rumors, he thought. Maybe some women were kidnapping the kids and living in some far-off cabin deep within the forest. Maybe the townspeople just don’t know who they are and their fear led them to come up with the ghost witch theory.
“Okay,” Daniel started again, clearing his throat, “so, your… mamas… lived out in the forest with you, and the other kids.” Tommy nodded, tears now slowly falling down his cheeks. “Alright, well, why did you leave the forest?”
“Didn’t want to.” Tommy sniffled, wiping off some of his tears with the back of his hand. “They say, I got grown up.”
“Oh.” Daniel struggled to find his next question. “So your mamas told you to leave?” Tommy nodded.
“I said, I don’t wanna. Then…” Tommy sniffled, “then they- they scare me. They change.” He started to cry harder.
“How… how did they change?” Daniel whispered.
“Mamas turned scary. Mamas turned mean. Mamas turned to monsters.” Tommy said through hard sobs. Daniel felt terrible for him and slowly stood up and went over to gently pat his back, hoping to comfort him. His mind was still in pieces, trying to make sense of what this young man had just told him. Clearly, Tommy was severely traumatized from whatever these women had done to him out in that forest. It seemed like a clear case of mental, possibly physical abuse, but why would these women force him, whom they consider their own child, to leave once he became an adult? This is definitely a kidnapping case, Daniel thought. Tommy finally stopped sobbing and started wiping away his tears again.
“I think that’s all I needed to know. Thank you, Tommy. You were very helpful.” Daniel gave Tommy a small smile, Tommy looked back up at him, cheeks shiny with wet tears still falling steadily down them, and gave him a little smile back. Daniel prepared himself to leave to head back to the Wandering Horse Inn, Tommy quickly gave him a few chopped pieces of firewood to take with him, smiling bigger now that their conversation was over. Daniel thanked him again, and began to head back up muddy Creek Road. The light drizzle from earlier had let up, and everything was much clearer, albeit humid and chilly. Daniel made it back to the Inn, and struggled to wipe his muddy loafers before going inside and setting the firewood beside the fireplace in the dining hall. He went quickly back up to his room and wrote down all of what he learned from Tommy in his journal. This case was not as simple as expected. He knew what his next step was. He needed to go to Edith’s Home for Children. He cleaned himself up a bit, combing out his dark brown hair that had gotten somewhat wet while walking to Tommy’s and put on some dry socks. Downstairs, Betty offered him some sort of vegetable stew, which he politely rejected, telling her that he was still pretty full from her breakfast. He asked her for directions to the orphanage and then left the Inn again, determined to see what the children and caretakers had to say about the disappearances. He walked past a couple of people who avoided eye contact with him, yet still looked him over before hurriedly walking on their own way. He walked up a winding road that was definitely much easier to travel on than the muddy dirt road had been. Finally, after walking uphill enough to where his legs began to burn, he saw the giant house. It actually looked to be in better shape than the other houses in town were, perched atop the hill with the beginnings of a large forest looming behind it. Across from it was a stunning view of the lake nearing its entirety, mist floating across it as the sun began its journey west behind the wall of gray clouds. Daniel walked up to the front door of the stately house, he could hear the yelling and laughter of children from the other side, and he gave it a few good knocks hoping they were loud enough to be heard over the rabble. After a few moments, a young woman opened the door and greeted Daniel with a smile.
“Am I to assume that you’re detective Sommers?” she asked with a soft, kind voice.
“Yes, I am. And you are?” Daniel answered, holding out his hand to shake hers.
“I’m Martha, I’m one of the nannies here at Edith’s, along with Debbie, Cassandra and Caroline.” she replied, shaking his hand and opening the door to let him inside. Daniel straightened his scarf.
“Is there not an actual Edith around running the place?” he asked, looking around the warm, inviting foyer, children’s shoes lined up along the walls on the floor.
“Oh, no.” Martha said with a light laugh. “Edith Perry started the orphanage a long time ago, she passed away some years back. We continue her work in her place.”
“Oh. I see. Sorry about that, I didn’t know. I just assumed-” Daniel voiced, slightly embarrassed. Suddenly, through a doorway came running two boys and a young girl, wearing newspaper hats and swinging sticks at one another. They screamed and charged into a room adjacent the doorway they entered through. Martha hurriedly shushed them, which they ignored, and she looked back up at Daniel exasperatedly.
“I apologize, this is usually the time when all the children are the rowdiest. Today, pirates have been very popular.” she laughed nervously. Daniel chuckled back.
“I remember being a kid once, no need to apologize.” he said. Another woman entered the foyer, she had bright blonde hair, and plump rosy cheeks that became rosier when she smiled.
“Well you must be detective Sommers! My name is Debbie, welcome to Edith’s!” she said cheerfully, shaking his hand eagerly.
“Thank you very much.” Daniel said. He didn’t quite expect the people here to be quite so… kind.
“We’re really hoping you can help us here, Mr. Sommers.” Debbie said quietly in a more serious tone. Martha’s face hardened slightly as she nodded in agreement.
“Well I’m hoping I can help.” Daniel said with an earnest smile. The ladies smiled back with small looks of relief. They then showed him around the house, which was filled with books, toys, and clothes. The bedrooms were clean and warm, glowing even. In the kitchen was a long table with over a dozen chairs and food was being prepared for that evening’s dinner by Cassandra and Caroline, both seemed like lovely women as well. From what Daniel had seen of the place, it didn’t seem like a place that children would want to run away from. So why were these kids running off into the woods with mysterious women?
“Do you ladies mind if I were to question some of the kids?” Daniel asked.
“Yes, please, go right ahead. Anything to stop whatever’s been going on.” Debbie replied. Daniel nodded, and proceeded to walk into one of the front rooms of the house. The two boys and the younger girl from earlier were playing with toy horses now, another two girls sat in a far corner drawing on pieces of paper. Daniel straightened his scarf and cleared his throat. All the kids became quiet and looked up at him.
“Hello. My name’s Daniel, I came here to ask you guys some questions. Think you can give me some answers?” he said smiling. One of the boys jumped up quickly and pointed at him.
“You’re like a cop! That’s what I wanna be when I’m all grown!” the boy yelled excitedly.
“Well, yeah, I am like a cop.” Daniel laughed. Then all the kids rushed to him and asked dozens of questions, all of which Daniel patiently answered.
“Mr. Daniel, are you here about- about the other kids?” one of the older girls asked. The rest of the kids became silent.
“Yes. I want to try and find out where they’re going.” Daniel replied. The children remained quiet. “Do any of you know where they’re going and why?”
They all looked at one another before one of the boys spoke up.
“They’re going with the ladies who hum out in the woods.” he said.
“Why are they going with them?” Daniel asked.
“Because them ladies wanna be our mamas.” the youngest girl answered.
“Okay,” Daniel said slowly, “Why don’t you guys go too?”
“We’d feel bad leaving Miss Martha and the others. But… sometimes… the humming sounds so sweet… it does make us wanna go with the forest ladies.” One of the older girls said.
“They told us the forest ladies are bad though. They said they were strangers, and you can’t trust strangers.” said the other boy.
“I see. What do these… forest ladies… look like?” Daniel asked. The other older girl walked over to where she had been drawing before, picking up one of the papers, and quietly handed it to Daniel.
In between the drawing of trees stood three women in what looked like white night gowns. They all had white hair, and were smiling. The eeriest part of the drawing was the black holes they had for eyes. Daniel felt the hairs on his neck stand up, and he nervously clutched onto his blue scarf. He thought to himself, what the hell is going on here?
“Dinner is ready!” Daniel jumped, startled by Caroline’s announcement. The children cheered and all began running into the kitchen. Daniel set the drawing down on a table before following them into the kitchen. More kids from other parts of the house swarmed into the kitchen, fighting over chairs before finally settling down as Cassandra passed around bread rolls and poured water into the various mismatched glasses at each setting. Martha and Debbie offered Daniel a spot at the table to which he initially turned down, but upon their insistence, and his rumbling stomach that hadn’t had anything put in it since breakfast, he gave in. Sitting between Martha and Debbie, the four women served him and the children green beans, mashed potatoes and baked ham. Daniel happily ate everything given to him, and made sure to repeatedly tell the women how delicious everything was. The sky outside gradually started to darken, and Cassandra and Debbie began to usher the children upstairs to clean themselves up and prepare for bed. Daniel stayed with Martha and Caroline and helped clean up all the dishes.
“So, where do all of these kids come from anyhow?” Daniel asked, carrying stacks of plates over to the sink to be scrubbed down by Caroline.
“Oh, all over.” Caroline said. “They like to send the orphans here because we have a lot of space for them to run around in. Keeps them happy while we look for a good set of parents to take them in.”
“We really care about what we do here, Mr. Sommers. These children mean a lot to us.” Martha said, gathering all the cups.
“I can definitely see that. All the kids do seem pretty happy here. I just don’t get why they’re running off.” Daniel said. Martha and Caroline stop in their tracks and look at him.
“I don’t think they have much of a choice, detective Sommers.” Caroline said, her tone low and dismal.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“Well, when those… ghosts… come, they whisper promises to the children. All these kids… all they want is a mother to care for them… and those things have some kind of power over them. It’s terrifying.” Martha said, her voice shaking.
“They’re just women though, living out in the forest somewhere, kidnapping these orphans.” Daniel said.
“No. There’s something… petrifying about them, detective Sommers. Something we can’t explain, unless you’ve heard them too.” Caroline turned back to the dishes. Both Martha and Daniel became very quiet. He looked out a window, into the trees out in the back. A fog had began to form in the yard, and Daniel noticed that the sun had completely set. He felt a pang of alarm; he’d have to walk back to the Inn in complete darkness. He patted his coat pocket, felt his flashlight and calmed down a bit. He’d be okay, and tomorrow he planned on hiking through the woods in search of any clues. There was some explanation to all of this, and Daniel Sommers was going to find it.
Then, it happened. The humming.
Martha and Caroline shrieked, covering their ears with their hands, looks of horror spread across their faces.
“We have to keep the children inside!” Martha yelled, and ran out of the kitchen with Caroline running behind her. Daniel just stood there. The humming was so much louder than what he had anticipated. It was like a bell, radiant and he could feel the vibrations shake him to his core. It sounded like women were humming sweet lullabies directly into his ears. It felt soothing, almost intoxicating. He heard panicked voices from upstairs, and remembered why he was here. He shook his head and quickly ran to the staircase. Martha stood at the very top, her arms spread across, keeping the children from going down.
“Let me go! I want my Mamas! I WANT MY MAMAS!” the children sobbed. They scratched, hit and bit Martha’s arms and legs while the other three nannies tried desperately to pull them off and put them back in their bedrooms.
“They’re not your mamas, they’re strangers! Mr. Sommers, do you hear the terrible sound? The horrible humming? Please, tell me you can! Please tell us we’re not insane! PLEASE!” Martha screamed as a child began to rip her hair.
“I can hear the humming, but it doesn’t sound terrible.” Daniel said. He was feeling incredibly dizzy and delirious, as if he had too much to drink.
“That’s what the children say! And those WITCHES! They stand out back for hours! In the trees like ghosts until one of the kids goes with them! Please, help us!” Debbie screamed. Daniel stood dumbfounded, staring up at Martha, watching her struggle to keep the kids from the stairs, blood dripping down her arm from one of the children’s bites. He looked back into the kitchen, saw the backdoor and ran through it, into the backyard and towards the trees. He pulled out his flashlight from his pocket and turned it on. He shone the light everywhere, looking at every tree. His heart was pounding with both fear and exhilaration, he thought, how on Earth are they making these sounds? Why were the children becoming wild because of it? Then, he saw one. A glimpse of a white gown flew past a tree, heading deeper into the woods. Without a second thought, he clutched his scarf, and ran into the forest.
He ran, panting, zig-zagging through the trees, every now a them catching sight of white hair or a white nightgown, the humming still vibrating through his entire body. He continued chasing them for what felt like hours but what could have only been seconds.
Suddenly, the humming stopped.
Daniel continued to run, but couldn’t see any of the women.
“NO!” Daniel stopped, spinning around, shining his flashlight everywhere. He had lost them. He stood still a few seconds, and his flashlight began to flicker. He examined it, gave it a few smacks with his hand, and then it completely went out.
He hurriedly reached into his pocket, searching for the extra batteries. He tried pulling them out, but they fell out of his hands onto the ground. He started hyperventilating as he got down to his knees and began patting the ground searching for them. He began to cry hysterically. Daniel Sommers was afraid of the dark.
“Why don’t we help you with that?” she said. Daniel froze. He didn’t lift his gaze from the ground in front of him. A dim, white glow began to envelop him and the surroundings. Slowly, he looked up.
Three women with white hair and white dresses stood about ten feet away from him. Their skin was pale, and their eyes were pitch black.
From out behind trees, children peered out to look at him. There were dozens, too many to count, all different ages. He looked back at the women.
“What… what do you want?” Daniel whispered.
“We want what you want, Daniel. We want to be your mamas.” they spoke without moving their lips. He gulped.
“I don’t need a… mama.” he said.
“Nonsense. Everyone needs a mama. Especially those whose mothers have abandoned them. Like yours did.” Daniel’s stomach churned. They somehow knew he had grown up in an orphanage. He started feeling sick.
“I’m all grown up though… you made Tommy leave.”
“We can make an exception for you. You never got to have a mama. Tommy had us for 18 years. Let us love you, Daniel.” The three apparitions held their arms open. Daniel stayed put. How could any of this be real?
“I can’t do it.” he whispered.
“You have no choice, Danny. Let us love you.”
“This is wrong, you’re kidnappers. Children living out in the woods isn’t right.”
“Our children love us, we hum sweet songs every night. They want for nothing. We’re loving mothers.”
“No. You’re not their mothers. You’re something else, something wrong, something… evil.” Daniel said slowly standing.
“Last chance, Danny. Let us be your mamas, or we’ll have no other choice but to punish you.”
Daniel stood still, staring back into their void eyes, for what felt like an eternity.
“Well then… what a pity.”
What unfolded next was the sheer most horrifying sight Daniel had ever seen in his life. The children hid behind the trees and covered their ears. The ghost witches’ bodies began to contort into unnatural angles, gurgling noises erupted from within their throats, their bones cracking and snapping. Daniel watched, petrified, unable to run as extra arms began to grow out their sides, their bodies stretching like taffy, groaning like some tortured beast. They finally stopped and for a moment stood completely still.
Then, they slowly reared their heads towards Daniel, their mouths and eyes all gaping holes. Daniel turned and ran.
He ran faster than he ever thought he could. Behind him he could hear the rustling of leaves as the mamas crawled with their extra arms, chasing directly behind him, gurgling and yelping. He screamed out several times in desperation. They followed him relentlessly, he never looked back. His legs were burning in pain but he never slowed down, and he saw Edith’s Orphanage in the distance. He was nearly out of the woods when a pale, bony hand grabbed his ankle and yanked him back. Hands grabbed him from everywhere. No escape. Daniel Sommers clutched his scarf with both hands and shut his eyes tightly.
