A Supernatural Love Story – The Haunted Cypress Trees of Taipingshan

A Perfect Beginning

A Supernatural Love Story – Life with Morgan was going to be perfect. Emily knew it. Her family knew it. Everyone at the wedding could see it. This would be bliss forever. Emily had every reason to expect it. And quite right, too. “Morgan + Emily forever!!!“ they had scrawled, with a big heart around it. They had been sweethearts since high school. Emily could always count on Morgan. Morgan was always there. He would always be there. Morgan had never failed her.

The Golden Decade

The first ten years were amazing. It was everything they had planned. Even the big moves, as Morgan’s job took him first to New York City, then to Paris, then to Hong Kong, and finally to Taiwan. Even those huge, life-changing events had gone smoothly. Where bonds between other couples had suffered and sometimes failed altogether, as the stresses of moving to new places, adapting to new cultures, and having to find new lives, with new friends, became too much, Morgan and Emily had only grown closer. Their love was total, and the romance never failed. Though Morgan often had to work long hours, they made sure to get away from the city regularly. Sometimes, it would be exotic and glamorous. They made sweet love on the beach in Tahiti. In Monaco, they lay for hours, listening to the sea gently lapping against the hull of the boat as they held each other close.

Seeking Solace in Taiwan

In recent years, they placed even more value on their time alone together and tried to avoid too much travel. Taiwan offered plenty of solace and peace. Not far from Taipei, the Taipingshan National Forest had become a favorite destination. At first, it was day tours. The forest was easy to reach and a wonderful break. Later, they stayed at eco-hotels, as camping and cooking are forbidden in the official forest area. Morgan, resourceful as ever, found a ‘secret’ place just outside the official area, under the cover of a massive Cypress Tree. It was so him, this beautiful, romantic secret. Long, beautiful weekends they would spend in a tent there, with nothing but birds, trees, mist, and heady forest air to deliver them to a place of lust and love. It had become their spot of tranquility, a spot that nobody knew they had.

Autumn Adventures

They especially liked it in autumn when the Japanese Maples that grew on either side of the road leading to the entrance turned red and orange and created an otherworldly feel. The forest was also famous for the many Cypress trees, some over 2000 years old. The ancient aboriginal tribes of the Atayal believed that the spirits of the dead ran in the sap of these magnificent trees. Morgan and Emily loved to explore the elevated trails in the mist-clad landscapes or visit the many waterfalls that fed the Nanoa River and Jiuliao River below. One of their favorite spots in the park after a hard day’s hike was the Jioujhihze Hot Springs, also known as the “Hot Spring of Beauty,” where they could relax, unwind, and ultimately create their own bit of romance.

A Perfect Dream

It had been perfect, a real-life dream come true.

Had been!

Right up until that horrible day!!!

A Shocking Revelation

Morgan had always been so fit, so healthy. He was still participating in the occasional triathlon. He would have done more, and he stayed in excellent shape, but work didn’t allow enough time for more competitions. So, he devoted more time to Jiu-Jitsu and MMA training. If anything, Morgan was in better shape than when he led the high school football and wrestling teams. And didn’t Emily know it! After all these years, her husband could emerge from the shower and ask her for a towel, flash that beautiful smile of his, and she would go weak at the knees.

Emily’s Graceful Aging

Emily had aged well, too. She was tall, with a thin build, narrow hips, and a small bust, looking unusually young for her age. With strong and distinctive high cheekbones, a square jawline, and a long neck, her stature was elegant and regal. Her flawless pale skin accentuated her straight jet-black hair and piercing clear blue eyes. Many men blushed when she looked their way. She was still a leading fitness model. Thanks to social media and YouTube, she didn’t even have to travel for work now. Just workout, snap some photos or shoot a video, and BAM! — more followers.

Morgan’s Number-One Fan

But her number-one fan, without a doubt, was her husband. Secretly, Emily was sure he always ‘forgot’ to take a towel to the shower on purpose. Not that it mattered. A healthy sex life is an important part of a healthy relationship. If these were the key measures of healthy living, Mr. and Mrs. Morgan Towns probably deserved a Nobel Prize in great relationships!

Deserved, that is!!

The Horrible Day

It was on that horrible day, ironically, that a Nobel Prize-winning doctor made their world fall apart. Dr. Rowan Jones and Morgan had been buddies for years. Both keen triathletes, they often buddied up on their training. But that day, Rowan had to do the toughest thing he could ever have imagined in his medical career. Dr. Rowan Jones explained, fighting back tears, to Mr. and Mrs. Morgan Towns that Morgan had cancer. Worse, it was inoperable, and at best, even with his incredible fitness and the best preventative measures modern medicine could offer, Morgan probably had a maximum of three months to live.

Facing Reality

They had tried to be strong. Emily had tried to be there for Morgan. Morgan had tried to put up a brave front for Emily. But it had been futile. They knew each other far too well, and, after all, they were not gods. As awesome as Morgan had been at everything he had ever done, he finally faltered when faced with the need to accept not only that he was mortal but that no matter what he tried, no matter how hard he worked out in the gym, trained on the road, or rigorously managed his nutrition plan, he was going to be dead at the age of 32.

Emily’s Struggle

For the first time ever, Morgan + Emily had started to become Morgan, Emily, and a little space. Every time Morgan told Emily she needed to prepare for life without him, she got angry. She wasn’t going to lose him! Emily simply could not accept it. It played on her mind and hurt her heart. It was understandable, of course, but it started to deprive Morgan and Emily of time together. She felt herself pulling back, emotionally. Try as she might, Emily found herself unable to give herself totally to Morgan anymore. The stages of grief, for her, had already started before his death.

A Heart-Wrenching Funeral

It had been a beautiful funeral. Really, it had. Well, as beautiful as a funeral, especially one this tragic, can be. Everybody felt it was ‘just right.’ The sadness among all the guests was almost overwhelming, but Emily refused to grieve. The only salvation, perhaps, was the huge celebration of Morgan’s life told through his friends and work colleagues.

Emily’s Desperate Escape

Emily had endured the pain for so long – even before Morgan’s death. But finally, she couldn’t take it anymore. There was no reason to go home to their apartment, which now only carried memories of his last weeks dying a painful death.

As far as Emily felt, if you looked up the word “empty” in the dictionary now, it said: “See the home of Mr. and Mrs. Morgan Towns.” So, Emily did the only thing she could think to do. She ran. Fighting to see through waves of tears, Emily drove to the forest – their ‘happy place.’

She had to escape the city, all the ‘concerned’ friends, the sad phone calls. She had to flee the haunting pain and go to that one last place that was truly theirs and not tainted by the despicable disease that started with ‘C.’

Memories in the Forest

The clearing in the forest looked just like it had the day Morgan had led her, giggling and blindfolded, from the car. For an hour, she endured not knowing, not seeing. But now, she could smell it. The forest had its own smell, but to Emily, it was one Morgan shared. Wild, powerful, intoxicating.

Emily choked back tears as she set up the tent. Their tent. Their tent in their forest. It took a bottle and a half of wine for Emily to stop sitting there, arms wrapped around her knees, under the Cypress tree, crying and lamenting the loss of her husband, her soul mate. Finally, she passed out in a drunken stupor, giving in to the welcome embrace of alcohol – of not knowing or feeling anything, if only for a short time.

An Eerie Encounter

“Emily,” she thought she heard! Emily knew she must be dreaming. As drunk as she still was, through the sleep, she sensed she was dreaming.

“Emily, come to me,” she heard again.

Emily felt the chill night air and, half-conscious, dragged herself into the tent and pulled the sleeping bag around herself.

“I miss you so much, Emily,” she heard in Morgan’s voice.

Intense Sadness

Intense sadness welled up in Emily’s sleep, and she cried herself awake feeling alone and sad. At first, there was nothing. Just darkness and utter silence. “How odd…” Emily thought to herself. There were no sounds of the night creatures that wandered around, nor the sound of wind, or distant waterfalls. Absolute silence and darkness.

A Startling Realization

“Emily…” she heard again with the voice much closer. It sounded exactly like Morgan. With a start, Emily was very awake. This dream was too vivid. She was scared.

“Morgan?” she called out. “Is that you?”

“Emily, come to me,” the voice said.

Emily slowly opened the flap of the tent. Her heart jumped when she saw him. Morgan was standing there, large as life, under the Cypress Tree. Emotions washed over her – had the death of her husband been just a nightmare?

A Chilling Realization

“Oh my GOD, Morgan! I had the worst nightmare, ever! Oh my God, you are alive!”

“Oh, sorry, honey. That’s terrible. Come here under the Cypress tree and let me hold you.”

Emily suddenly realized that Morgan looked pale and very unwell. He was so very pale, with black rings under his eyes, and the way he was looking at her made her feel uneasy – these were not the eyes of her loving husband.

A Disturbing Encounter

Without her asking the question, Morgan said, “I’ve never been better, Emily. Come here, darling, quickly,” in an annoyed tone.

Emily, surprised, scolded Morgan, “Honey, I hate when you do that. Stop thinking what I’m thinking! Anyway, it must be because the clouds are covering the moonlight. Things look so odd when it is this dark.”

Morgan walked toward her and swept Emily off her feet. His familiar, heady aroma—musty, wild, powerful—swept over her, filling her nostrils. She drank deeply and felt him touch her soul. This was it! This is where she needed to be. He placed her on the sleeping bag in the tent and began to fondle her breasts.

A Supernatural Love Story

Passionate Moments

He slowly raised the jumper she was wearing and kissed her stomach. He continued lifting the jumper, kissing each inch of her flesh until he reached her tiny but perfectly formed breasts. Slowly, he kissed around her nipples, finally and gently sucking one and then the other into his mouth while his tongue danced. She was already moaning with pleasure as he completely removed her top and began to kiss her neck and ears. If only she had brought some of her sex toys along.

He then descended down her perfect and pale skin past her shoulders and breasts until he reached her fleecy pants. Again, he began to kiss around the elastic of the pants. With each kiss, he drew the pants down millimeter by millimeter. He kissed either side of Emily’s tender thighs down to her ankles and even to her toes. She now lay before him completely naked, exposed with her womanhood before him.

A Heightened Desire

She was so wet and hot down there and wanted to ride the emotions of lovemaking, to release herself over him after so many months of no sex. I lay down on the cool sheets, and he pushed my legs up and went right back to work on my pussy. His tongue was so hot and eager. Jesus, where did he learn to do this?! I do not ever recall my husband Morgan doing this to me so eagerly. Our sex sessions had always been gentle and soft. He licked me like a hungry vampire lapping up the blood of his victim.

An Intense Experience

He plunged his tongue inside me, deep inside, and then began sucking my clit. When the orgasm hit me, I could feel the juices flowing out of me. He lapped them up greedily. He lay on top of me, and the weight of his body pressing down on mine drove me wild. I grabbed the back of his head, pulling his mouth to mine, and kissed him hard. The taste of my pussy on his lips made me hotter still. But as I kissed him and felt him on top of me, he felt cold.

I said, “Morgan, you are cold. Are you okay?”

He again answered angrily, “I told you before I am fine.” With this, he forcefully spread my legs. This was different, this was not the way Morgan and I made love, but by now I was so hot that I needed that cock.

Unexpected Aggression

Morgan pulled down his pants, and his erection was enormous.

“Fuck me. . .” I moaned.

He pushed his hard cock into me. He put my legs over his shoulders and fucked me hard and deep. I could feel another orgasm building inside me.

“Fuck me, baby! Fuck me hard!” I moaned over and over.

“Cum for me, girl. Let me feel that tight pussy squeeze my cock. Cum for me now,” he said, still thrusting his cock deep inside me.

A Confusing End

My orgasm hit hard. I threw my head back and closed my eyes, letting it wash over me. When my orgasm subsided, I realized he had stopped. I opened my eyes and smiled at him. He looked into my eyes, a strange expression on his face. I wondered why he’d stopped. I knew he hadn’t cum yet.

A Surprising Proposition

“I want to fuck you in the ass,” he said.

This surprised me, as I had brought up the option of anal sex with him, but being a doctor, he thought the idea was not right. He believed that the human body was not engineered for such acts. This was different—he was different!

Unexpected Change

He rolled me over onto my stomach and rubbed my back. I pulled my knees up and spread my ass open to him. He ducked his head down and licked my pussy, then ran his tongue up and over my asshole. I shivered, feeling goosebumps rise on my arms and legs. He traced circles around it with his tongue, reached under me, and started to rub my pussy slowly.

Intense Sensations

He plunged his tongue into my ass and his finger into my pussy simultaneously. I gasped at the overwhelming sensations. He fucked my ass with his tongue and my pussy with his finger for a long time. When I was close to cumming, he gradually slowed, then stopped. I felt the head of his rock-hard cock pressing against my asshole. I began to tremble—a strangely erotic combination of fear and desire overwhelming me.

A New Experience

He pushed his cock into my ass slowly. I wanted to cry out for him to shove it in hard, but I knew I couldn’t handle that. When he was completely inside me, he was still for a while, giving me time to adjust. He reached under me again and slid a finger into my pussy. I groaned as he slid it in and out several times, very slowly. Then he pulled it out and put it to my lips. I sucked his finger into my mouth, tasting my sweet juice.

Overwhelming Desire

He took hold of my hips and started to fuck my ass, slow and easy. It hurt, but I couldn’t tell him to stop; I didn’t want him to stop. My mind was blank. I couldn’t think. I could only feel. I was experiencing sensations I had never felt before. I moaned and whimpered, pushing back against him, trying to get every inch of him in my ass. Gradually, he began to push his cock in harder, faster.

Climactic Release

With a final deep thrust, I felt his hot cum shooting up my ass. That sent me over the edge. My whole body shuddered as I experienced one of the most intense orgasms imaginable. Why? Why had this not happened for so long? As she collapsed into an endorphin and alcohol-filled post-sex trance.

Harsh Reality

When she awoke with a flood of relief, Emily suddenly remembered what had transpired. “Oh no, that was just a dream! Silly me! Morgan and I are fine.” Life was still perfect. Emily was again surrendering herself totally to Morgan’s love. His beautiful physicality, but even more so, he was inside her soul. She felt his love flood her body.

Unsettling Awakening

Suddenly, a white light exploded in Emily’s hungover head, and her ears were ringing. She sat up, pulling her hands from under the covers to prop herself up on the sleeping bag, holding her ears.

“What the fuck?!?” she said. “Morgan!” she shouted, but she was alone with the forest.

Desperate Search

The zipper was undone. The tent was open, and morning sunlight flooded in, jostled by tree branches drunkenly tossing shadows to and fro. Emily stumbled from the sleeping bag, damp and sweating. She shivered as the cold morning air found her bare, wet skin. Stepping onto the dewy floor of the clearing, Emily heaved and threw up, her lungs filling with the musty, wild scent of the forest. Again and again, she shouted Morgan’s name. There came nothing in reply. Not even an echo, the thick trees and wet forest floor taking everything from her and giving nothing in return.

Utter Desolation

Emily felt so alone. More so even than during the miserable drive up here, she thought to herself. She couldn’t help but think of those last weeks with Morgan. This… feeling him everywhere but being unable to touch him. To truly touch him. Damn this forest and damn that great Cypress Tree.

Frustration and Anger

“You’re laughing at me!” Emily screamed to the tree. “Stop it!”

Lazily, one of the great Cypress trees creaked wildly in the wind.

“STOOOOPPPP ITTTT!!!!” she screamed, “Please….”

A Late Arrival

The sun had long since set by the time they reached the clearing.

“Jeez, man, I TOLD you we should have left in the morning. That Friday afternoon traffic from Taiwan is always brutal!” Michael taunted, pretending to be angry.

But Ian always gave as good as he got. Letting out his trademark sarcastic sigh, he retorted, “Get off my back, bro. This is gonna be a weekend to remember! So what if we arrived a bit late. We’re here now. Crack open the beers. Let’s get this party started!”

Setting Up Camp

“Dude, I can’t see anything in here. How are we gonna set up the tent? No later than 11 am. That’s what we agreed,” Michael continued.

“Shut up, loser. Leave the headlights on. The tent will take two minutes. While you’re doing that, I’ll get the fire going. The sooner you stop whining like an old woman and get going, the sooner we’re kicking back with beers and dogs.”

“Yeah? Well, talking about old women, what the hell was that old Chinese lady going on about back at the gas station? Your Mandarin’s better than mine. All I got was, ‘You two better be careful. Ghostly encounter Taipingshan National Forest!’”

Ghost Stories

“Oh her? LOL, dude. Old Chinese women. They’re even worse than young Chinese women. They’ll get in your head and really mess you up, if you believe what they say. All those old Chinese traditions and superstitions. If you believed half of the stuff they go on about, there are more spirits than down at our local bar.”

They both laughed at that.

“Well, what did she say then, Mr. Chinese Expert?” Michael pushed Ian.

“Oh man, some crap about this ghost up in the forest and spirits in the Cypress trees. Not to go there at night. The spirits of those that have lost in love. She’ll suck you all the way up, if you know what I mean.”

Ignoring the Warning

“To hell with that!” Michael spat, heaving the tent from the back of the car. “I don’t believe in any ghost stories. Let’s talk about some Singapore Erotic Stories instead.”

They had the tent up within five minutes and within ten they were into the first beer each from the slab they had brought with them. They made a small open fire so as not to be found out by any of the park rangers and sat around telling stories like only two mates could. It was near midnight when they both stumbled into the tent and their sleeping bags.

A Disturbing Dream

“Dude, you up?” Ian said. He had awoken to what sounded like the Cypress Tree they had camped near was creaking excessively. The early silhouette of the horizon of dawn approaching could be seen.

Michael sighed. “I guess I am, now. Man, what a party. What’s up man?”

“What party? Bro, you had, like, four beers and passed out. Must be this forest air. It does something to people.” Ian rolled slowly out of his sleeping bag.

“No man, the party in my dream. That was crazy man. This hot white chick was all over me. I am sure I have seen her somewhere, a model or something. And when I say white, I mean WHITE. Must be where the Chinese get their ‘white ghost’ insult, ha ha ha.”

Shared Nightmares

“Dude, what the heck? Was I talking in my sleep? Stop messing with me.” Ian, effecting mild panic, replied.

“Huh? YOU stop messing with ME! I’m serious. I had this really pornographic dream. In my dream, I had to pee, so I left the tent and went to the edge of the clearing. That’s when I saw this tent. No sooner had I whipped out the old boy than this chick just appeared in front of the tent. Man, I just felt like she was the one, you know? I mean, don’t get me wrong, the sex was amazing but it was more than just sex. It was like she knew me. Really knew me. I think I’m in love. What the hell? How can you fall in love with someone in a dream?”

Growing Fear

Ian wasn’t pretending to panic anymore, “Stop it, man. I know you heard me talking in my sleep. That’s the dream I had. This isn’t funny anymore, okay? Just stop.”

Now Michael was starting to panic. “I’m not joking. I didn’t hear you dreaming. I’m telling you the truth. I had that dream.”

“This is crap, Michael! How can we have the same dream?” Ian was actually kind of scared and angry now. “Damnit, I need to pee. Why don’t you check the fire. We need to get the coffee on and get out of here before the park gets visitors. You know you are not allowed to camp in the National Park.”

An Eerie Discovery

Ian stumbled into the cold, wet air. Blinking as he got his bearings back, he headed for the other side of the clearing, where there was some heavy overgrowth. Just before the ancient Cypress Tree.

Michael was making a desultory effort with the fire, stirring red coals with a stick.

“Yo, dude!” Ian shouted over his shoulder. “Come over here and check this out now!”

“Ha ha, very funny, Ian!” Michael replied. “I don’t need to check out you going to the bathroom, thank you very much.”

“No… man.. no. Get over here. There’s a tent back here.”

Unnerving Discovery

Michael stomped over from the fire, “This better be good. I didn’t see no tent last night. You better not be jerking me off.”

“Well, it was too dark,” Michael reasoned. “I could barely see our tent, forget about another one hidden in these bushes.”

“Helloooo?” Michael called out. “Hello? Anybody in there?”

Eerie Observations

Ian stopped him, “Look at it, man. That tent is old. Looks like it’s been here for years. Bits of tree fell on it. There’s a tear in the side.”

Michael pushed past bushes, “Hey, something’s in there! It’s still not light enough. Grab the flashlight!”

Ian returned with the flashlight. Shining it through the hole in the tent, the light revealed the unmistakable shape of a sleeping bag and some women’s clothes, but it was still too dark. “Some woman’s been camping here and left all her gear. Maybe we should leave now. This is really freaking me out.”

Unexpected Determination

“No way, Ian!” Michael countered. “This tent’s been here a while. Maybe she’s sick. Maybe she is wounded. She could need help. Gimme the flashlight and let’s take a look around.”

Michael and Ian began looking around and calling out, “Hello. Does anybody need any help?” As they approached the Cypress Tree, they could see a shape. A shape that looked female. They started to run over.

Chilling Realization

“Maybe she’s unconscious?” Ian offered.

As they got closer, Michael said, “Oh fuck man, she’s not unconscious. She’s dead.”

Ian reached down and said, “No man. She’s cold. OMG! OH MY GOD!!!”

“What, Michael? What???” Ian squeezed in next to Michael.

They could both see that the woman had been dead for a long time but somehow her body had been mummified. Michael said, “Man, she has been out here for ages, but she is not decomposed and no animals have touched her. This is weird shit.”

The Woman from Their Dreams

Ian struggled to speak, “Dude… that… that’s… the woman! The woman from the dream!”

Michael was shaking, “I know. I know. She’s the woman from my dream, too!”

The Final Chapter

Michael and Ian were not prosecuted by the authorities for trespassing in the National Forest. However, they had a gag order placed on them, prohibiting them from discussing or publishing anything about the incident—not that they ever would. Michael and Ian later identified the woman as a model from a YouTube video from a decade before.

A Mysterious Preservation

The experts were astounded by the body’s remarkable condition, especially given that it had laid there, undisturbed, in a wet forest for so many years. The medical coroner believed the cause of death to be suicide by cutting one’s wrist. However, the odd thing was that no cutting instrument was ever found, and there was no blood at the scene, making it impossible for him to confirm this for certain. It was almost as if the roots of the Cypress tree had sucked the last remnants of blood up.

The Final Discovery

They knew roughly when she had died because they had established the woman’s last movements before arriving at the campsite, approximately ten years ago. Required by law to provide a cause of death on the death certificate, the coroner had written simply, “Death by Suicide.”

The Revelation

Oh, and that her name was Mrs. Emily Towns.

The Lingering Haunt

As Michael and Ian stood by the ancient Cypress Tree, the forest seemed to whisper secrets only it knew. The air around them was thick with the scent of damp earth and decaying leaves, mingling with the faint, sweet aroma of the wildflowers that dotted the clearing. Towering trees loomed overhead, their gnarled branches intertwining like skeletal fingers, casting eerie shadows that danced with the flicker of their dying campfire.

Ian shivered, not from the cold, but from the lingering sense of Emily’s presence. He could almost feel her eyes on him, watching from the darkness, her spirit tethered to the place where she had taken her last breath. The memory of their shared dream haunted him—how could they have both envisioned the same woman, felt the same inexplicable connection?

Michael stared at the ground where they had found Emily’s body, the soil undisturbed, the grass slowly reclaiming the space. “Do you think she’s still here?” he whispered, his voice barely audible over the rustling leaves.

Ian nodded slowly. “I think she never left.”

Eternal Rest

The forest seemed to sigh, a gentle breeze stirring the leaves, as if acknowledging their words. The two friends knew they would never forget that night, the ethereal beauty of the woman who had haunted their dreams, and the tragic end that had bound her to this place. They gathered their belongings in silence, their minds heavy with unanswered questions and the weight of a secret they could never share.

As they walked away from the clearing, the first light of dawn breaking through the canopy, the forest behind them fell silent once more. The Cypress Tree stood as a solemn guardian, its roots entwined with the mysteries of the past, holding the secrets of those who had loved and lost within its ancient embrace. Emily Towns, forever part of the forest, lingered in their memories—a ghostly reminder of love, loss, and the unending quest for peace.