The Witch of Pine Hollow

...Or Was She?

Abigail's Tale

The Legend of the Witch of Pine Hollow

Every child in Pine Hollow grows up fearing the tale of wicked Abigail Marsh- the witch who haunted dreams and stole lives. She is often painted as a cackling old crone with clawed fingers and hollow red eyes. Others insist her evil was quiet, patient, and methodical. While the legends vary, they all agree on one thing: she was fear incarnate.

They say she lurked in the shadows of the old woods whispering curses into the wind, and that even now her specter clings to Pine Hollow.

Who Was Abigail Marsh?

The official records are frustratingly thin...almost suspiciously so. Fires, floods, and "clerical errors" have erased much of Pine Hollow's early history. What remains confirms only a few facts.

A person named Abigail Marsh lived in Pine Hollow in the late 1600s. In 1696, a bout of hysteria swept through the town and Abigail was accused, tried, and convicted of witchcraft. The few surviving accounts describe night terrors, shared dreams, waking visions, and episodes of sleepwalking that left people injured or worse.

On August 27, 1696, Abigail was hanged from an oak tree just outside of town.

A Witch, or Something Else?

This is where the trail of fact ends, and the winding path of speculation begins.

Some claim the nightmares stopped after her death. Others say they intensified. Some years ago, a now-controversial record surfaced that referenced a containment ritual devised by the townspeople to ward against Abigail's spirit. While the local historical society has long dismissed this as a forgery, many believe this ritual evolved into the town's beloved Moon Hollow Festival.

I've spent years digging into Abigail's story, and the deeper I dig the less satisfying the answers become. Was there really a malicious witch that haunted our town? Intellectualists would have us believe Abigail was just a frightened townsperson caught up in the panic. Maybe neither are true. Maybe she was something else entirely.

We may never know. History has a funny way of twisting the truth. Whatever Abigail was, Pine Hollow believed she was dangerous enough to kill. And if her spirit still lingers, if the stories are right, then Pine Hollow may be living on borrowed time.