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THE LADY IN BLACK OF BRADLEY FOREST

It’s Christmas Eve, and Bradley Forest looks gloomier than ever. The wind has stopped blowing, stopping the movement of the leaves on the trees. The nocturnal animals remain in their lair, the stars have stopped shining, and the moon has hidden behind a veil of gray smoke. For a few minutes, the silence is terrifying until the crunch of dry leaves cracks under the barefooted woman. She is the Lady in Black of the Bradley Forest who appears every year to try to recover the most valuable thing she had, her little son.

In England during the War of the Roses, a woodcutter, his beautiful wife, and their baby lived in a small cabin in Bradley Forest. They had little contact with the villagers of the nearby town, and although they led a simple life, they were calm and happy there. Unfortunately, one day the woodcutter was forced to go off to war, but before leaving, he comforted his dear wife and promised her that he would return. Then in great pain, he left his family alone in the deep forest. Several months passed, and although she never heard from him, she kept alive the hope of seeing him again. For that reason, she took her son every day in her arms and went to the forest, hoping to see him return as he had promised. She stayed there for long hours, imagining that at any moment, she would see him walk towards her in the distance and that when he hugged her, he would happily tell her that the war was over and that they could now live in peace. However, before nightfall, she returned sad and disappointed to her cabin, always wishing the next day would be better.

One day before Christmas, a group of soldiers from the enemy army came through the woods and seeing the cabin, they broke in, robbing the terrified woman of what little money she had and tearing her beloved son from her arms. Then they rode away laughing at what they had done, leaving her heartbroken. Since then, dressed in black, she went desperately to the forest looking for her husband and her stolen son, and she did so for the rest of her life until she died. However, some witnesses have stated that her spectral figure continues to wander through the forest, looking for her family.

If you want to check if the legend is true, then on Christmas Eve, dare to go alone to Bradley Forest, and repeat three times: “Lady in black, Lady in Black, I have stolen your baby.”  Then she will appear in front of you to get him back.

AUTHOR: ENGLISH FOLKLORE

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