The Finster Hollow Short-cut

Peter lived in the small town of Virginia City, Nevada all of his life. Therefore he knew the rules about Six-mile Canyon’s short-cut.

The first was the easiest to follow: don’t use the short-cut. The second and third were to be followed if it were to be used – not at night and never under a full moon.

As for the short-cut, it ran throughout the entirety of the town. And it was known to be cursed.

Peter however couldn’t recall anyone ever having fallen victim to the curse. Further, he’d used the short-cut several times, becoming convinced that the so-called malediction wasn’t real.

One night, the 16-year-old had attended a going-away party at a friends house when he decided to use the short-cut to get home before his midnight curfew. Dark though it was, and with a full moon hidden behind a band of clouds, Peter turned down the cut.

Almost immediately he tripped over a vine or branch and fell to the ground. As he got to his feet, he found himself being tethered by tendrils that wrapped themselves tight about his head, waist, arms and legs.

Even as he struggled to escape, he felt himself lifted from the ground and splayed in every direction. The pain was eminence, but death came quick as Peter’s head was ripped violently from his neck followed by other parts of his body.

Within minutes, nothing remained of Peter, but the town’s quick fading memory of his existence and the Six-mile Canyon curse.