Writetober 2024, Horror Haven: Day 17: Necropolis

Rick, a grave keeper, knew the woods well. His father, and his father before him, had tended the cemetery nestled deep within the embrace of the forest. The trees, ancient and gnarled, bore witness to the silent city of the dead. 

Rick had heard tales of the woods from his grandmother. Tales of spirits who lingered as ghosts, bound to the earth by their unfinished business. She warned him to avoid the old oak at the forest’s edge, for it was said to be haunted by the ghost of a young woman who had drowned in the nearby pond. Rick had always dismissed these stories as childhood fables, but as he grew older, he found himself wondering if there was more to the woods than met the eye.

One stormy night, as Rick made his way home from the cemetery, the wind howled through the trees, carrying with it a mournful wail. He stopped, his heart pounding in his chest. The sound seemed to come from the direction of the old oak. With a mixture of fear and curiosity, Rick walked on, his footsteps crunching on the fallen leaves.

As he drew closer to the tree, the wail grew louder, more insistent. The wind whipped around him, carrying the scent of decay and death. Suddenly, a figure emerged from the shadows, its face obscured by the swirling mist. It was a woman, dressed in a white gown, her hair flowing in the wind. She stood at the base of the oak, her eyes filled with a haunting sadness.

Rick watched in awe as the woman began to speak, her voice a whisper carried on the wind. She told him of her love for a young man who had been lost at sea. She had waited for him to return, her heart filled with hope. But as the years passed, that hope had turned to despair. In her grief, she had drowned herself in the pond, her spirit forever tied to the place of her death.

As the woman finished her tale, she turned and vanished into the mist. Rick turned and ran, his heart pounding in his chest. He didn't stop until he was safely inside his cottage. As he sat by the fire, listening to the wind howling outside, he knew that he would never forget the night he encountered the woman of the whispering woods.

written by Zoe