This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.
The original was posted on /r/nosleep by /u/Objective_Sundae_489 on 2024-04-08 17:16:16.
I’ve lived in the woods for the majority of my life. The city and even suburbia was too loud for me. But being surrounded by trees and nature calms me to the extent that nothing can replace my small cozy cabin in the woods. I built it myself, most of my family asked if I was going to have it become an Air BnB, but they seemed shocked when I told them I built it for myself. I live alone and they worry about me. They’ve tried to then persuade me to find a roommate or even a girlfriend. But there was no point to finding someone because I built the cabin as a studio layout. Why should I bring someone else into my home when I am perfectly comfortable with living alone?
One day, my grandmother was visiting me and before she arrived, I laid the table with the kettle pre boiled for tea and put out some bite sized sandwiches. She was very old-fashioned and always had a cup of tea in front of her period so, I made sure to make her feel at home.
A few minutes later, she knocked on my door lightly. I answered and welcomed her inside.
“You live too far out here for me to be making this trip.” She complained as I welcomed her inside.
“I can always come to you, grandma.” I chuckled and had told her this multiple times when she visited me.
She shooed her hand away disagreeing, “Nonsense, besides I have something I’d like to talk to you about today.” She immediately made her way over to my dining room table as soon as her eyes set on the kettle and teacups.
I pulled the chair out for her and she sat, the wood creaking below her. I sat across from her and began prepping the tea.
“Tea?” I asked getting ready to poor.
“Yes please. Do you have earl grey?”
I always had Earl grey; it was the only tea she would drink. Earl grey, a drop of cream and no sugar. I prepped her cup while she chatted with me.
“So, you said you had something you wanted to discuss?” I began drinking my tea as I sat Bck in my chair relaxing.
She nodded and brought her cup to her lips letting the steam fill her nostrils, “Yes, first how long have you lived out here?”
I had to think for a moment, “Oh, about five years now.”
“And you enjoy it?” She asked with an accusatory tone.
“Yes,” I smiled firmly.
“And you haven’t had any issues?”
I tilted my head to the side, “What do you mean?” She took a long sip of her tea before answering, “I am surprised you haven’t come in contact with the spirits that dwell within these woods.”
My grandmother was always a spiritual person. She believed in jinxes and bad luck and karma. She wasn’t a witch exactly, but she also wasn’t your typical Christian.
“What spirits?” I decided to indulge her.
“These woods are protected by spirits and if you respect them, they will leave you be. But mark them or harm their land. You will be cursed.” Oh goody.
“Well, I’ve never run into anything like that, and I don’t feel like I’ve disrespected anything.” I didn’t believe what she said but there was no point in disagreeing with her. Even if I did disagree, she would still warn me of this and push it even more. “This forest lives and breathes life, and the spirits protect it. But if you disturb them, you may be visited by one of the tree spirits. Some also call it the stick spirit because of the way it looks, tall slender and well…sticky.”
“What does it do?” I asked.
She beamed at my curiosity, “The stick spirit is a type of tree spirit that roams these woods. It is not attached to any particular tree specifically. But protects all of them, for it moves because the trees cannot.” She explained. She was on her second cup of tea now and began eating some of the sandwiches I layed out, “Thank you, these are delicious,” she said admiring the sandwiches. What was I saying? Oh, yes, the stick spirit. The reason I worry for you is because I felt a presence outside your cabin. Something watching it. Watching you.”
Wonderful, I wouldn’t be getting any sleep tonight.
“I feel you may have provoked this spirit. And I want to show you how to repair your relationship with it.” I did not have a relationship with this so-called stick spirit. But apparently, I did now.
“To get the stick spirit to forgive you, you must leave a pile of pine needles and dirt along with a drop of your blood at your front door. The spear will come and see your offering and forgive you. But if you don’t, rumor and folklore goes that the spirit will haunt you in your sleep every night until death.”
Her silence then told me she was finished explaining period she shifted in her chair comma the wood creaking again, “My back is starting to hurt period i think i’m going to go home and lie down.”
“Of course, grandma.” I helped her up and outside to her car, “Are you going to be alright driving yourself home?”
“I’m fine, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. But do what I told you. I can sense the spirit watching.”
“Yes, grandma.” She started her car and backed out my gravel driveway.
I saw it and go back inside. What on earth was she talking about? Stick spirit? But I was still curious. I went back inside and pulled out my laptop and began Googling Washington forest, stick spirits. Several articles came up and I clicked on an image of what grandma described. A pile of pine needles and dirt. Most of the articles claim the spirit smithed and legends and fairy tales you tell your kids to make them behave. I scoffed and shut my laptop. Just as I thought it was bullshit.
That evening I watched some Criminal Minds before going to bed. I loved crime shows and I could always tell who the murderer was before they caught them. There were also a lot of seasons which kept me hooked. Eventually, I felt my eyes grew heavy and decided to turn in for the night. I changed into my pajamas and crawled into bed, already warm from me sitting and watching TV. I turned out the light and eventually fell asleep. And no, I did not leave out pine needles, dirt and my blood on my front door.
My dreams that night were nothing short of horrifying. I was even convinced I wasn’t dreaming. I could hear the wind blowing through the trees outside my house, the trees creaked and an owl hooted in the distance harmonized by crickets. My room was dark except for the moonlight spilling down at an angle onto my wooden floor. I remembered lying in bed having to pee, so I got up and used the bathroom before returning to bed. But when I came back to my bedroom. Something in the window caught my attention and I froze.
A face. A bloody face was staring at me. And it was not human. You know the scream mask? Imagine that but brown and on a stick figure you know how kids draw people? Yeah, that’s what was staring at me through the window. But its head was tall and skinny like a stick.
It didn’t move but I knew it saw me. I didn’t dare take a step forward. My heart pounded in my chest. Sweat clammed my palms. What do I do? Do I retreat to the bathroom? Do I run? Do I invite in for tea? No, this thing wasn’t real. I was definitely dreaming. I’m going to ignore it and go right back to bed.
I broke eye contact with the imaginary figure and walked back to my bed, as I lifted my leg to get into bed there was a loud smack against my window. Like something took a whip and hit it against the glass. I froze again and looked at the window. The stick figure was still there and its face turned to watch me walk to my bed. It did it again and this time I saw it do it. And again and again. Over and over until the glass began to crack. I huddled under my covers hiding, like a coward. Like a child scared of a monster under its bed. Except this thing was outside my window.
I began sobbing and yelled, “What do you want? Leave me alone!”
It kept hitting the window like it was throwing a temper tantrum. And then suddenly, it stopped. I stayed frozen under my sheets and even dared to breathe.
I didn’t know how much time passed but I watched my sheets light and slowly as the sun rose. I was up all night frozen in fear. Afraid of something trying to break into my house. Slowly, I pulled the sheets from over my head and looked at the window. It wasn’t broken and there was nothing there. I must have dreamt it. Didn’t I?
I continued to do more research throughout the day and eventually decided to take a walk through the woods to get some fresh air. I followed a local trail and walked for 30 minutes or so before turning around to walk home. The fresh air cooled my skin as birds flew above me. I was relieved and beginning to forget about last night. Until a branch snapping behind me made me jolt. It was especially unnerving since it sounded similar to the nightmare noises I heard in my sleep.
I quickened my pace a bit. The fresh air was nice and all, but I didn’t need it that much. I could stay inside for the rest of the day. Everything I needed was in my cabin.
As I walked home faster, now at a small jog I didn’t turn around asked the snapping sounds became more frequent and closer on my heels. I was full on running now. You know this horror movie scenes of the protagonist running through the middle of the woods at night being chased by a serial killer? This felt like that but in broad daylight and I didn’t know what was chasing me. But I had a suspicion. Was I really dreaming last night or? Or was the spirit really mad at me and not going to let me be?
Approaching the view of my cabin, I exhaled and ran faster to the front porch. I almost tripped on the last stair up when my eyes laid on the sight in front of me. All my doormat we…
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