"Prune-Faced Woman"
Reader Story Submission
Location: New MexicoThis story comes from one of my good buddies over on Twitter and y'all, it's a damn good one. So grab a cup of coffee, turn down the lights and your device brightness, and settle in for the amazing story of the prune-faced woman...
Edited for clarification, spelling, and layout.
"Prune-Faced Woman"
Where I live, the houses are spread out. Lot of Cedar trees, lot of open space surrounded by mesas. And I just happen to live down the road from a cemetery. Things do go bump in the night as one would imagine. My neighbors seem to ignore it, or they just don't have anyone to bother them. Sometimes in the middle of the night, even in midday, I'll hear knocking at our door, tapping at our windows. This all ties to events that happened in my childhood which I could explain in detail in another story. Stuff like this comes in waves. It's calm most of the time, then some months it's never quiet. This one moment sticks out. Because I will never forget hearing that scream, and seeing her face. It's embedded in my memory.
The knocking on the door is what woke me around 1am. Well it started out as knocking but turned into a pounding at the door. Everyone else seemed to be in deep sleep. But I have my reasons for being a light sleeper. Even when I'm really tired. This really wasn't anything new to me, or to us to think of it. I always take my pistol with me in these moments considering we've had visits from lost drunks and meth heads that sometimes get violent. And it takes awhile for the police to get to our destination.
So I made my way down the hallway, looked out the crack of the curtains where I can see of anyone would be by both doors. There was nobody there, no shadows in the distance either. Like I said this was nothing new to me, so in a yawning voice I said aloud (sighing) "Somebody forgot to close the fucking gate again" and I swear I heard would sounded like a faint elderly groaning laugh. As I walked away I heard a thump at the door and I then said in a calm voice (knowing if you show any kind of frustration in your reaction, you will not be left alone) "Please go back and wait till the morning... Please."
Walking back to my room I saw a shadow streaking the kitchen window. (Saying to myself) "Ok, this person is gonna be a pain tonight," I stepped into my room. Crawled into bed. Thinking how lucky that the rest of my family is able to be in the state of deep sleep. While I'm just irritated with this "gift/curse" - however you look at it, I don't want it. I was able to fall back asleep.
If you're familiar with the term "OBE" then you know what an out of body experience is like. If not, you're fortunate not to. It comes random. Or if something really needs to be heard. I was finally in deep sleep. And of course I was walking through my house in my dream. When I realized I was sleeping looking at out my window.. I sighed and said "Ok... Where the fuck are you at?"
A little side note here: in another story I'll explain why I never had welcome mats anywhere I lived. What I'm about to go further into, is just one of those reasons why.
I saw something out my window that looked like a slightly hunched figure with long hair. In a gown or more like a handmade gown. The hair was covering the face and then as soon as I got close to my window, it vanished. Not too far though, cause here we go again with the pounding on the door. And I walked and of course, checked on my kids.. sound asleep. I walked through the door that I didn't hear the pounding at. Walked around the house... and the night had quickly went from middle of the night.. into morning. As I was coming around the corner to my back patio.. I heard crying, sounded like an elderly woman. And I thought "Ok, this is who was pounding on my door. I bet you anything her funeral is this morning." And when I walked onto my back patio, there she was. Sitting on my chair. Head down, hair covering her face.
The only thing that gets me in these moments is not knowing what condition they will be in. Sometimes they are just fine and died peacefully. Sometimes they are mauled, or just in pain still. Sometimes they just need a few words to give them reassurance. But once in awhile. They are just plain mad, evil, lost. This one I felt... had regret, and hate in her soul. You can just feel that walking closer to them sometimes. So after just crying for a few minutes asking if she's ok with no answer from her, I started to feel that she carried whatever hate or regret she had in her to this life... It was starting to surround me.
And from past experiences, that's not a good thing and once it gets into you, it takes a long time to get out of you. And it brings you way the fuck down. And you end up taking that into your home.
So to put an end to it, I finally stepped right in front of her. My feet only a few inches away from hers. And yelled "ITS TOO LATE! YOU CANT CROSS TILL YOU LET IT GO!!" Not even as I finished saying GO... her hair blew away from her face. Her eyes met mine, and her skin was purple, and wrinkled, but where her skin was wrinkled, she had open skin with dead blood inside her cut skin. Normally this would have scared the shit out of me, but seeing what was behind her eyes, was a sad, sad, very sad young woman. It looked like she had aged from wasting her energy with hate, and was carrying that to her grave. I could hear trucks coming up the road both in my dream and in my sleep. So I knew I was going to wake up soon. I kneeled down in front of her and put my hands on her dark purple folded hands. I squeezed them tight. Tears started coming out of her eyes. "Look at me, I know you're scared, but you can't take that hate with you. Release those lingering thoughts from your family. I know you're the one that's passed on. But they are the ones that need to rest." She began to cry furiously... I pulled her up and felt myself waking up... "LET IT GO!!" She stood up, looked to where I assume her home is and let out this loud, guttural horrific scream, and I felt myself starting to wake up, but I held her hands tight. I held her hands until I saw the purple skin turn to her original skin color... her pupils regaining their color... her hands getting stronger.. when I looked at the trucks turning onto the road to the cemetery. She turned back to her young beautiful self. And her gown had become so colorful. Just as I was waking up. She faded and said thank you in silence.
When I opened eyes, I heard the trucks driving down the road. I noticed I was a bit teary eyed. I sighed with both relief and sadness. Knowing this woman's family may never see her forgiveness until they meet again. I did my routine, washed my face. Put on coffee. I had to check. So as I was getting my tools ready for the day. Refilled the water bowl for our dog. I had to check. I say little foot prints by my window. The ground was damp from a light pour overnight. And on the porch I saw damp foot prints drying up in the sunlight. They were heading towards the cemetery.
Later that day I was kind of frustrated at work. I was about to just say fuck and call it a day when I had an argument with a coworker. I always have my Bluetooth speakers with me. I love music, it's like air to me. And it helps block out some thoughts about what goes on in my head. Just as I was about to pack my tools, jump in the truck and speed off like I had intended, I walk towards my speaker. It's on a playlist of course but I always keep it on shuffle. As I reach for it, "Let It Be" by The Beatles starts playing and I immediately think of my dream. And a part of me wants to break down, and another part of me....wants to clinch my fist and say......"You made it."
***
Y'all, this one hit me right in the feels, I don't know about you. But I love that my friend not only felt comfortable sharing this experience with me, but with all of you as well! If you have a personal story you would like me to share, please feel free to send it in! I am always looking for reader story submissions as well as lore and legend suggestions!
I like it👍 that would make a good movie short, or in an anthology movie
ReplyDeleteI agree! I think it would make for a great horror short!
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