Dark Shadows: The Witch of Pawleys Island Traditional Cache
gpsfun: Archived at the cache owner's request.
Dark Shadows: The Witch of Pawleys Island
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(micro)
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The cache is a pill fob. Please return the cache so it is well
hidden. This is a busy location.
The south end of Pawleys Island is one of the prettiest beach in
the Southeast. On the southern most finger of land on the island,
where the Atlantic Ocean and Pawleys Creek meet, there once lived a
friendly, happy widow. Her home was one of the largest dwellings on
the island.
She had lived on the island all her life and, as a young girl,
spent many hours roaming the island with her family's cook looking
for herbs and spices that were found in the wild. The cook taught
her how to use the herbs and spices for cooking and for home
remedies.
Unfortunately the widow grew to love something more fiercely than
her beloved Pawleys Island - whiskey. Her desire for frequent and
great quantities of whiskey caused her to abandon all appearances
of a normal life and eventually cost her the family's home.
The widow took up residence in a decrepit shack on the mainland
just across Pawleys Creek. The widow would leave her shack to
gather firewood, roots, and berries or to make an occasional trip
to Georgetown. People were shocked by her appearance. The widow's
hair was wild, dirty, long and tangled. Her face was hidden by a
large black hat.
Stories about the old woman began to circulate around Georgetown
and on the island. Those very people who had consulted the widow
for home remedies now began to spread rumors about her. She was a
witch, people would say, a conjurer. Living out there in the old
shack she could "do things."
As the rumors circulated a young man from Georgetown began to get
an idea. He was intent on winning the affections of a young woman
from Georgetown but was very apprehensive about courting her. Maybe
the old hag could help him.
Early one morning the man set out for Pawleys Island and found the
old lady's shack. Just as he was about to knock on her door it
jerked open and he found himself not two feet from the old woman's
face. Squaring his shoulders and trying to remain calm he said, in
a shaking voice, "I need a love potion. How much?" After thinking
about the phase of the moon and the rising of the tides the woman
croaked "a bottle of whiskey, two days from now at sundown."
Two days later, at sundown, the old woman was in front of her shack
when the young man road up. He approached the woman cautiously and
handed her the brown bag containing the whiskey.
"The potion is ready." Sweeping her knobby stick toward the ocean
she said,"The moon be on the increase and the tide be on the rise.
Now you must do the rest." She pulled the bottle of liquid from the
folds of her black cloak. "Drink half of this" she said as she
thrust the bottle towards him. "Drink!"
Mesmerized and shaking he snatched the bottle from her and drank
deeply. To his surprise the liquid tasted good. As he drank a warm
glow spread over his muscles.
The old woman pointed her stick at him and said " Before the moon
be full, see that the girl drinks the rest of it. You had half, she
gets half. And see that the tide be on the rise when she drinks.
You do as I say and she will be yours."
As the young man walked to his horse he looked at the bottle and
realized he had only consumed about one fourth of the contents and
thought that he would drink the rest of his half tomorrow before he
went to call on the young lady who he already considered his.
The next day he decided not to drink any more but to give the lady
three-fourths of the bottle instead of half. Surely it would make
her love for him greater. Later that day he called on the young
woman and slipped the potion into her tea.
The potion took effect immediately! The young woman fell madly in
love with her suitor and before long they were engaged. At first
the young man was ecstatic, but soon he found that his ardor had
cooled. While the young woman was completely devoted to him, he
found that he could barely stand the sight of her. He broke the
engagement but the young woman followed him everywhere. He soon
left town without a trace. The young woman learned of her beloved's
disappearance and drowned herself in the ocean. The young man was
never heard from again.
News of the old woman's potion soon became known throughout the
region. Word of mouth soon had her busy with potions for the
lovesick as well as for the vengeful.
Many nights the fire outside her shack burned long into the night.
Often, late at night, the old woman could be seen digging but no
one dared approach the shack to see what she was burying.
When the old woman died it was commonly assumed that she had
hoarded money or valuables and had hidden them away. She had had a
busy practice in magical potions and must have stored away much of
her income. The woman's shack and the grounds around it were
carefully searched but nothing was ever found. Speculations
continued on what had happened to her secret treasure. Furtive
individuals continued to trek to the site. Many times a hopeful
digger would feel his shovel strike something hard but would be
disappointed to find he had hit a jug or bottle of whiskey.
Finally the digging and searching stopped. There were too many
unexplained noises - howls and growls - that made it impossible to
concentrate on digging. No one had ever dug up a any money or
treasures.
Standing on the southern most tip of Pawleys Island one can still
sometimes see the light of a fire in the dark, wooded part of the
mainland across the creek. If one watches long enough a silhouette
can be seen passing in front of the fire. On a very still night one
may hear the high, eerie, cackling laugh of the old woman: The
Witch of Pawleys island.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Lbh pbhyq nqbcg bar, gbb.
Treasures
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