Letters From The Time Traveler: The Cottage In The Woods

Dearest,

I found this letter in an old trunk, after my father’s death. He never got a chance to send it, but I received it when I needed it most.

Thomas,

It was November 1805 and for all intents and purposes, Ohio was the wild west. Not many had settled the area. Native Americans like the Delaware (Lenape) and Wyandot (Huron) tribes lived in peace with the few settlers.

I was traveling through along Lake Erie through Cuyahoga county and heard there was a wise woman named Marie-Louise who lived in Hinckley Township.

I had a malady in my leg that was beginning to fester. My companion Seth recommended I see her.

From where I was from, wise woman/healers were considered taboo. So the night I went under the cover of darkness to get a tonic and some help.

When I got to her village, I was directed to her cottage which was on the edge of the woods. Many used her services but few admitted to it. I was on a journey to Missouri and desperately needed help.

I approached her cottage and knocked softly at the door. A fellow tribe member accompanied me in case there was any language barrier.

Marie-Louise

A very old woman…