Batbros Forever

The Murderous Witch

Though it didn't happen often, Bruce did try to take vacations from time to time. As a reward for the boys having a good school year, Bruce arranged to get out of Gotham for a week and take the boys up to the old family summer house.

The boys' eyes were wide as they pulled up to the two-story cabin. It was one of many in the small summer neighborhood and had been used for Wayne family vacations since the twentieth century.

"Welcome to Wayne Lodge boys." Bruce said as he opened the door. He smiled at his fond memories of the summers he'd spent here with his parents and then Alfred. "There's a lake!" Jason squealed in awe as he pressed his face to the back door windows. "Daddy, Dickie look!"

"I used to get in so much trouble on that lake." Bruce laughed as he joined his younger son. "To be fair, Master Bruce, you used to get in trouble no matter where you went in this area." Alfred told him. "Do you remember the time with the fireworks?" Bruce grinned.

"I remember you almost burnt the Lodge to the ground while playing with the fireworks I specifically told you not to touch." The old butler scolded. "Yeah, I deserved that grounding." Bruce admitted, scratching the back of his head.

"Can we go play by the lake, Dad? Please?" Dick begged. Bruce gave the boys permission as long as they promised to stay together and out of the water.

III

The two of them found the shore crowded with other kids from the neighboring cabins, some swimming, others playing on the beach. A few kids invited them to play soccer, and the boys joined the game with glee. When the game was over, they all sat down in the sand and started talking.

"You guys coming to the campfire fire tonight?" A girl who'd introduced herself as Ramona asked. "It's great!" An excitable boy named Oscar exclaimed. "We do it every year! We go to the community fire pit, and one of the big kids tells this cool creepy story while we make smores."

Dick and Jason glowed at the prospect, and after hours of begging, Bruce allowed them to join in the fun.

The marshmallows and chocolate had all the kids on a sugar high. It was nice to get out of the city and hang out with kids who weren't jerks and just have a good time.

"Alright kiddies, gather round." One of the older boys called. "If you're here tonight, then you are old enough to know the legend of the of The Murderous Witch." He told them in his best spooky voice.

"Hundreds of years ago on these very grounds, there was a small hunting community. They were all normal folks, living off the land and raising their happy little families until the year they got a new schoolhouse teacher.

From the time she arrived, the grown-ups of the town noticed strange happenings. The crops failed out of nowhere. The animals went crazy. The only reason they didn't run her out of town was that the town's children loved her.

Then one fateful night, the parents found all of their children missing from their beds with trails of their tattered clothes leading to the schoolhouse. When they got there, however, there was no sign of their children. Instead, they found the teacher soaked with water and blood.

When she refused to tell them what had happened, the townspeople took her to the square to burn her at the stake. But no matter how high the flames rose, they refused to consume her.

Eventually, the fire became too strong to control, and the town burned to ashes. And now, centuries later, on summer nights like these, people have sworn that they can still hear the screams of the murdered kids. Some have even claimed to have seen the witch herself floating across the lake."