The tea swamp witches (short story)

The Tea Swamp Witches

"The Tea Swamp Witches"

This is a short story I wrote for fun but it's incomplete sorry in advance for a cliff hanger.

Tea Swamp Park, the sign stood battered and slightly rusting. It was an eyesore in comparison to the uniform homes surrounding the park. All newly built, fresh, and bright. Most people wouldn't even bother to glance at the sign. They'd gawk at the houses and move on. Occasionally, someone would tell their dog not to pee on the sign. If only they knew the truth. The sign held a key to the dark history of this area.

"Ughh! Casey, you know you can't hide forever," grumbled a little boy.

He trudged through the thick bush, yelping at the sight of his lower body encased in mud. (Why did he agree to play hide and seek here?)

"I thought we agreed that this part of the swamp was off-limits!" the little boy whimpered.

There were many cautionary tales of the Tea Swamp. They said it was haunted. They said magical spirits were here. The boy figured they were just stories. The kind of stories they'd tell little kids to avoid them getting stuck in the peat. He was a big kid; he could take care of himself, or so he thought. He heard a rustling in the tall grass.

"Hello? Um, Casey, no more joking around! It's not funny anymore!" Now he was upset.

He trudged on, pushing aside all the tall reeds. He could see something. Was it Casey? He continued to push through. Suddenly, without seeing the dip in the ground, the boy fell face-first. Panting heavily, he rearranged himself, and tred to wipe the mud off his face. He could now see a light. It was a sort of neon green. Deep in the reeds of the swamp the sky was no longer visible. The green glow was the only light. The boy continued forward, now crouching towards the ground, he carefully separating the reeds. On all fours, he could see he was on the edge of a cliff-like high rise. At the bottom of the drop, he saw a cave and what looked to be Casey lying on the ground. Just as he was about to call out her name, a cloaked figure appeared from inside a cave. It slowly made its way to where Casey was lying. Stunned, the boy made an attempt to reposition himself, and tried to keep hidden. His foot slipped, and he heard a loud snap. The cloaked figure looked up, letting out an eerie sound. The figure flew upwards. The boy didn't hesitate, he ran no longer thinking, adrenaline coursed through his body. It looked like he was getting away. Though suddenly, perhaps it was a fluke of nature or magic but the boy's legs went numb, letting out under him. He tumbled. Lifting mud off the ground as he rolled until he could move no further. Frantically he tried pulling himself forwards using only his arms, but it was no use.