Haunted

By Liam Conboy

During summer when I want to go swimming at North Beach I usually take a longer way by going down Depot Street onto the bike path or going down a road near Burlington High School, but when I need to get there in a hurry I take a shortcut through a forest behind Cambrian Rise. It is quicker but more dangerous.

Sometimes there are people and cults camping and living hidden off the trail. You never know if they are going to chase after you. The trail is not maintained so you have to be careful of roots sticking out of the ground, loose rocks and bloody glass shards that cover the ground.

One time when I was walking on the trail I found a shrine with creepy dolls inside of a tree. There were blankets and brushes for them, one of the dolls was missing an eye and the other a leg. There were coins scattered everywhere on the ground surrounding the tree. Ever since then I try to stay away from that place. I wonder if eventually, the new residents of Cambrian Rise trying to find an easier way to the beach will find the creepy things and people in this haunted forest.