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Leon Cowles, a Portland resident, recounts a hike through Forest Park that turns from ordinary to quietly menacing. At the Witches House—an infamous local gathering spot—he finds signs of recent occult activity: arranged offerings, scorched earth, and symbols carved into bark. The discovery unsettles him, but it’s what comes later that tightens the knot: while moving through the trees he becomes aware of something large moving just out of sight, circling him without revealing itself. The story hangs on atmosphere and escalating dread—the ordinary sounds of the trail become threatening, landmarks feel wrong, and the presence in the woods never fully appears, leaving a sustained sense of being watched and narrowly unmoored.

Credits: 

Produced by Mickie Eberz. 

Narration by Spring Heeled Jack (Anthony Landis). 

Story/first-person account by Leon Cowles.

All original music written and performed by Empress.

Closing track: Pouring Down on You by Empress.

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