Many years ago, deep in the forest of Washington, a large log cabin stood hidden among the trees. In this cabin lived a family of seven siblings. They lived quite near the Devils Washbasin on the base of Devils Horn. If anyone passed by on the well-worn road near this house, they would see a beautiful house with a beautiful lawn, but the siblings who lived there were so different that people hardly guessed that they were related at all.
In the late afternoon of August, the cicadas sawing their song, a loud ruckus could be heard through the closed wooden door. Inside the cabin, in the largest room, one of the siblings was in a heated argument with another sibling. An old man, who was far into his eighties, yelled and thrashed about with his hickory cane while five pairs of eyes watched him carefully. No one was speaking up for the pitiful figure in the corner, for fear of being the object of his wrath.
"I just couldn't bear to close that window, Walter," Simon sighed. He was young with black hair and a lazy look in his dull grey eyes. "I mean, look, it's all the way across the room." Simon complained. Simon never left his chair in the corner. He was a very lazy person.
The old man, Walter, puffed up and gripped his hard hickory cane. Walter stepped closer to the man and leaned across the table with a red face. A heavy-set woman named Bertha, who had been busily eating a large candy bar, quickly got out of her chair and ran into the kitchen. The young man dropped his gaze to stare blankly at his hands. Without hesitation, Walter leapt across the table and began to hit the young man with his cane. Simon leaned forward in his chair, but otherwise he did nothing to stop the blows that Walter rained down; one after another. The squabble only broke up when a teenager, filled with pride, walked through the door while busily texting on his cell phone. The teen only paused to nod his head to the people in the room. Then he walked up the stairs and disappeared. A boisterous laugh split the tension in the air, filling the silence. It was one of the older siblings. He had slicked back, greasy hair, and he was also very short. He was a salesman with beady black eyes that were always filled with greed. He puffed on his cigar and blew out the smoke before speaking, "Com-a, Walter. Leave the guy alone. He ain't got nothin you want." The old man did leave Simon alone. He sat in a chair across the room with a red face as he mumbled profanities to himself.
With the absence of the fight came a quiet murmuring among the people in the room. Only one of the siblings kept quiet. It was a young woman with beautiful blond hair. She sat alone with a mirror, as if her reflection was the only thing that mattered. On the mirror, the name Eve was written on the back. Eve applied another layer of lipstick to her already cherry colored lips before smacking them loudly. "That's a very nice ride, those people have," a middle-aged man called Frank whispered in awe. He was staring past the woman in the corner and out the window where a couple was climbing out of their car. It wasn't long before the seven heard a knock at their door. With a sly smile, the businessman, who only went by the name of , opened the door to let the couple in. The two walked inside and graciously accepted the invitation to stay the night in one of the guest rooms. Eve strutted from the corner over to the husband and led him up the stairs to his room while Frank stepped outside to take care of the luggage.
put his arm comfortably around the woman's shoulders and began to lead her up the stairs. His booming voice could be heard in the main room. "You see I'm a business kind of guy. I keep a lot of contracts and propositions for my boss. Now how about you and I go down to the Devils Washbasin and make a deal…"he said with an undercurrent to his voice. The couple was never seen or heard of again. When the police came along to investigate, the seven siblings knew nothing and pretended to be oblivious.
Over the years this pattern continued. Couples went into the cabin but never came back out. The heavens grew angry with the seven's sinfulness. Then one day a mysterious group of seven different people came to the cabin in the woods. They were all very beautiful and had velvety voices. They had come at early morning, so early that the sun was barely peeking over the trees. They walked up the path of the garden, and wherever they walked flowers bloomed and wilted plants perked up to attract brightly colored butterflies. They stopped at the door of the cabin, and the leader of the mysterious group stepped forward to knock on the door. There was no answer from the inside. But very suddenly, the curtains closed and the door was locked. There was a brief scrambling noise before the silence returned. One of the newcomers rushed forward, broke the lock, and rushed through the door. The six others walked calmly and with purpose through the now broken door. Surprisingly, the former occupants stood clustered in the middle of the room, Walter brandishing his cane like a sword. Simon, who was too lazy to move from the corner, did nothing. Each person wore an expression of hate, but also with the fear of God on their faces. Greedy , Lustful Eve, Frank who was full of Envy, Gluttonous Bertha, Slothful Simon, Walter full of Wrath, and prideful teenager were gathered together.
The newcomers looked at each other before standing side by side. One by one each pointed at the person opposite them. Then, starting at the beginning, they each said a sentence with their word of conviction. "I kill you with mercy, healing, leadership, peace, harmony, love, and wisdom." said the mysterious group. Then they turned and left.
All that was left of the one's who lived in the cabin were an assortment of objects. This strange assortment was an empty piggy bank, a pile of silk, shards of a broken green pot, an empty plate, dust, a wriggling rattlesnake, and a foul smell in the air.
Thus was the end of the Seven Deadly Sins.