Urban Legend: Don’t Go Into the Woods

This contribution, rather than a physical place or organization, is rather an urban legend told by the people of Ralston that connects to their history. It is unknown when this story emerged exactly however it is theorized to date back at least a few decades.

The story essentially goes that if you wander too far into the woods between the main city area, and the few buildings along the eastern side of the island such as North point lighthouse, you will find a small rundown cabin. The story tells that this cabin was made as an isolated sickhouse, where the sick of the various early communities during the 1700’s went away from society to avoid spreading the disease. Most of these people would never see the outside world again and would die alone in the woods. Rumors say that the ghosts of those who died, including two of Angus Ralston’s children died there, and that they would infect and torment any who disturbed them.

This story is almost certainly false, as historical evidence suggests that no such place exists and the Ralston’s children died elsewhere. However, the story still persists. It was first documented in the mid 90’s as a bedtime story, though it is believed to be slightly older. It was told to children warning them not to go out into the woods alone outside the city and stay in the safety of Ralston. Earlier tellings of the tale were more innocent, however as more and more people heard it it began to adapt and become more disturbing. Young children, eager for a thrill and something different than the family friendly nature of Ralston would head out into the woods in search of this cabin. However when the concept really took off was in the early 2010 with the rise of online creepy pastas (short horror stories that grow and adapt online). Many who grew up with this story as kids were now online and communicating the legend to those outside the on the early internet. With the Online Disinhibition Effect people were a lot freer to speak their mind of the early internet, so people said things far weirder than in real life, with the legend warping even further. Residents would post supposed encounters they had with the ghosts of Ralston’s children, most of which were just blurry videos with weird lighting and no ghosts.

However when the story became a true phenomenon and blew up exponentially was after an abandoned shed was in fact found in the woods. This was later confirmed to have nothing to do with the legend at all and was just the homestead of an old farmer from the 1800’s who died with no children leaving little record behind. Regardless of that fact many flocked to the cabin, and early youtube and internet videos were filmed there. Even a few online creators obsessed with the trend of internet horror would travel from nearby communities to take a look at the supposedly haunted house. The city council was always unamused by this, however once people began to vandalize the house, spray painting demonic symbols on the walls, and putting fake blood on the abandoned sheets, the town strictly forbade anyone from going there and vandalizing it. This was barely enforced however and many continued. Despite the initial hype eventually people got tired and the internet craze subsided, and the house was left largely forgotten as people moved on.

This was until early 2020 when the Covid Pandemic hit. Many residents who were kids at the time of the craze surrounding the cursed sick house, remember it now that they were suffering under a plague of their own. Memes began to circulate online about how the ghosts of the Ralston pandemic were spreading the plague as revenge for the people who intruded on their home and land. These were not taken particularly seriously however it was still a brief rumor in the town brought about by the early pandemic.

This is where things remain to this day. The house still remains, now slightly graffitied in the woods largely forgotten. The tale is still told from time to time, a legend which had survived three generations, enchanting kids who would later reminisce and get another wave of kids entranced in the mystery. The idea provides something alluring and dangerous to the children of Ralston, something that is so different from the coddled kid friendly nature of the town that it draws them in. Though it is easy as an adult to dismiss the story as fake, through the eyes of a child it may seem all too real, and enchant them to go into those empty woods where they were always warned not to go.