October Writing Prompts- Pinterest List by ZellyKatArt
Day 9- Story Telling
Cordelia stared at the swamp as she sat on a boat with her dad and grandpa. They weren’t in the swampy area, but close enough to make her feel uneasy. They wanted to go out fishing and spend time together, but Cordelia didn’t want to be there. She’d rather be with her mom and grandma, who were shopping at the mall. Her grandma said that they would have time together, so, here Cordelia was in a boat while the men talked once in a while. Cordelia sighed for the fifth time and looked at her dad.
“Are we ready to go yet? The swamp over there is giving me the creeps,” she said as she looked back at the swampy water. She jumped when she thought she heard something coming out of the swamp.
Her dad and grandpa looked at each other, then stared at the swamp. They chuckled and went back to fishing. Her dad pulled on his line to attract some fish and cleared his throat. “Did I ever tell you the story about the witch who lived in that swamp?”
Cordelia turned and looked at her father, eyes wide. “No!” She moved forward, ready to hear her dad tell her the story.
Grandpa mumbled something about it being too scary for her, but her dad said she was old enough to hear it and needed to hear it. She raised her eyebrows, even more intrigued.
“The swamp over there used to not be there. It used to be a pretty little area where people liked to go on picnics and swim. Birds sang in the trees, animals frolicked around, and people camped. Fishing was better in that area, too. Your great grandpa used to fish there every day when he was a teenager.” Dad pulled on his line and looked at Cordelia. “Then she moved in. A woman everyone called the witch. She was strange, beautiful, but strange. She was young, too. No one ever saw her parents, so they believed she was on the run from something. Parents, the police, no one knew, but boy did they enjoy assuming things about the girl.” He laughed and shifted his weight. “People went missing or turned up dead after she moved in. They always pointed their fingers at her.”
Cordelia looked back at the swamp, trying to picture the area before the swamp took over. She heard her dad talk about how the area changed, and not for the best. Birds stopped singing, animals left, and the trees became entangled with one another, choking out the light.
“The water chanted last to what you see now. The fish all died, and no one camped there any longer.” Dad reeled his line in and placed his fishing pole to the side. “The witch stayed while the people left, but the town’s closest always felt the wrath of the woman. More people went missing or ended up dead in the swampy waters.” He leaned back a little in the boat, his eyes on one of the gnarled trees. “The people grew frustrated and hunted her down in a little cabin somewhere in the woods behind the swamp. She ran, scared. No one would listen to her or believe that she wasn’t the one killing the people. She told them repeatedly that she wasn’t the killer, but she knew who it was. No one wanted to listen to her, so they cornered her in her cabin and trapped her inside like an animal. She was scared, screaming and hollering for help, but no one listened.”
Cordelia felt sorry for the witch. She looked at her dad. “Did they kill her?”
“They set her house on fire and watched the place burn to the ground. But the damage was done. Nothing returns to that area. Only wild plants grow there and it’s dark in there because of the trees that grew together.” Her dad looked at her. “That is why no one goes there. They fear the land is cursed by the witch.”
Cordelia looked at her dad. “But it’s not right?”
“Of course not, kiddo,” her grandpa said with a chuckle. “Your great grandma would never curse the land she loved. The hate and death changed the land.” He looked at the area. “When great grandpa saved her, she told him all about the cruel man that had taken up residence not too far from her cabin. He was the murderer. So, he did the only natural thing. He murdered a murderer. It helped that he was the son of a murderer, too.” He squinted his eyes at her. “And what is our motto?”
“Only kill those who deserve it, especially serial killers,” Cordelia said with a grin on her face. She looked at the swamp. “So, that’s where it all started. That’s where great grandpa and great grandma met and fell in love.” She sighed. “How romantic.” She fluttered her eyelashes. “I hope some guy saves me like that and then we train together and start our own family to continue our legacy.”
Dad and grandpa laughed at Cordelia. Grandpa reels in his fishing rod and started up the boat. She hung on as he steered the boat away from the spot.
“Is that why grandma wanted me to come with you two? So you could tell me the story of great grandma and great grandpa?”
“Yep,” was all her dad and grandpa said.
She turned and stared at the swamp. Cordelia liked the swampy area now since she knew the truth behind it. Sure, the anger and hatred had changed it, but it was also beautiful because it was a place of a love story.