Stay Away From Booger Woods

By Larry W. Bumpus

Grave’s Woods lay just outside of town along the perimeter of Grave’s Road.  The woods were large and deep. They went for miles. 

The woods were dark and forbidding. The trees grew close together and the underbrush was thick. 

There are trails that run through the woods that were more than likely made by animals. They seemed to meander all over inside the thick woods. 

Most people in Harme’s Way had another name for the woods. They called it Booger Woods. 

Booger Woods did not have a good reputation. Most people stayed away from it but there were a few brave souls who hunted squirrel and raccoon in it. Even they did not go too deep into the woods and the dogs would cower and whine if pressed to go further. 

There was something about it that people could not put their finger on that made them want to stay away. 

The old Grave’s Road ran along the edge of it. There were few houses on that road and those that were there locked up tightly when the sun went down and dogs were brought in. You could almost sense it in the air; a feeling of disquiet. Something not quite right. 

There were a few legends about the woods. There is said that there is a clearing in the middle of the woods where nothing grows. No one is sure what caused it or why nothing will grow. 

There is also an old abandoned shack where it is said that a man who went by the name of Long Tom Morris had lived back in the 1800s. Morris, it was said, had kidnapped and murdered several children from the surrounding communities and buried them out back of the shack. The townspeople finally caught him in the act and lynched him in the woods. They say that his ghost now roams the woods looking for the people who lynched him.

“You take it back!” said David Miller. He stood stiff with his fists jammed to his sides. “I’m not afraid!”

“Yeah?” sneered Ike Greene. “If you ain’t afraid then why do you and your family lock up so tight at night? You afraid of Booger Woods? You afraid of ol’ Long Tom?”

“Just because we lock up at night doesn’t mean we’re afraid. Don’t you lock up your house?”

This heated exchange was happening at the Junior-Senior High School on the track. 

David Miller lived on the Old Grave’s Road. His nearest neighbor was over a hundred yards away. He had casually mentioned to one of his friends, Mason Holliday, that they keep the house tightly locked at night. Ike Greene had overheard and there the argument ensued. 

Ike said, “Sure we lockup. That’s because we live in town and someone might break in.”

“Sure,” said David. “Someone’s going to break into that trailer you live in and steal all your valuables. Careful, they might want to steal that Coca-Cola sign you stole from the diner.”

Ike turned red with anger. “I ought to kick your ass for that!”

David brought up his fists. “Bring it on.”

Ike raised his fists and after a minute, he lowered them and walked away. “You’re not worth it.” He muttered.

David shook his head and said, “Who’s afraid now?”

Mason said to David, “I don’t give a damn if he is my cousin, you should have pounded him.”

David looked at Mason and grinned, “Mase? He just wasn’t worth it.”

While they walked around the track doing laps, Mason asked, “Do you really think that the ghost of Long Tom is in those woods?”

 David shrugged his shoulders, “I dunno. My dad says that was a long time ago. He said Long Tom was hung in a tree in that clearing that’s supposed to be in there. He said that if Long Tom was a ghost he should be long gone by now. That was over a hundred years ago.”

“Yeah, I know.” Mason kicked a rock off the track. He looked at David. “You ever see or hear anything weird?”

David shook his head. “My dad doesn’t want me going in those woods. He said that I might get lost. He said it’s easy to lose your direction in there.”

“I wonder if all those stories about Booger Woods are true. I mean, besides the one about Long Tom.”

“You mean about the witches meeting in that clearing?”

Mason nodded. That was just one of the many stories about the woods. If you wanted to hear them all you would need to go see Mrs. Nelson at the trailer park. She knew everything that went on in Harme’s Way. 

“I don’t know. Anyways, where would they come from? Harme’s Way? Barrington? If I was a witch and lived in Barrington, I would find a place a lot closer to go than here.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”  

Later that night, David lay in bed reading. He was reading the latest issue of Creepy Magazine that had come in the mail that day. He loved that magazine. The stories were always great and he loved the banter of Uncle Creepy. 

His mother and father were in the living room watching TV. David’s father usually got home from work at five so they had dinner around six or six thirty. 

Over a dinner of pork chops and mashed potatoes David had asked his dad about Booger Woods. 

His dad had said, “Sure, Son. People go hunting in there. Jim Waters down at the plant goes squirrel hunting in there nearly every weekend. He doesn’t go very far though. Not after he got lost in there and didn’t find his way out till daybreak the following day.” 

“Did he see anything?”

“You mean like Long Tom?” His dad grinned and shook his head. “No. He said he mostly fought mosquitoes and hunger that night.”

“Wow! Everyone I know talks about that clearing or Long Tom.”

His dad nodded. “You stay out of those woods. I don’t want you getting lost in them. As for that clearing and Long Tom. I am pretty sure the clearing exists but there is no Long Tom.”

“How can you be sure, Dad?”

His dad speared another pork chop off the plate with his fork and said, “Because I don’t believe in ghosts.”

There was a knock on his bedroom door and his mother poked her head in. She said, “I just wanted to say goodnight. Don’t stay up too late. Tomorrow is a school day.”

David looked over the top of his magazine. “I won’t, Mom. I’m just getting ready to go to bed. Goodnight.”

He rolled over and turned off his lamp. He could see Booger Woods from his bedroom window. He sat up and looked out at the darkened woods. He wondered what was in there. He wished he knew Jim Waters well enough to ask him about his experience. That must have been pretty scary at any rate; being lost in the woods like that. 

Once on a dare he had gone in about thirty feet. Even just that short of a distance was a little unnerving. The trees grew tall and close together and the underbrush had been thick. There was a sense of, he couldn’t quite find the words to describe it. Wrongness. That was about as close as he could come to it. Booger Woods just wasn’t right. He didn’t care what anyone said. That was how he felt. 

He knew he wasn’t alone in feeling that way. He had heard the old men talking down at the barber shop. They seemed to always turn the conversation to Booger Woods and what may lurk there. He knew that a lot of people believed in the ghost of Long Tom. There were even some who had claimed to have seen him. 

The best source of news about the woods would be Mrs. Nelson over in the trailer park. It was said she knew everything that went on in this town. She probably had some stories to tell about Booger Woods. She seemed to have stories about everything else, according to his Mom anyway. 

Maybe he and Mason could go over there sometimes and see her. The only bad part of that was they might run into Ike. Unfortunately, there was only one trailer park in Harme’s Way and both she and Ike lived in it. 

David wasn’t afraid of Ike. Ike was all mouth and although he talked a good fight, he had never really been in one. David, on the other hand, had been in a few and had even come out victorious. But that didn’t stop Ike from being a pain in the ass.  One of these days he was going to mouth off to the wrong person and that would be it. 

The next morning in History Class, third period, David sat near the window and looked out at the trees that were dropping their gold and red leaves as his teacher, Ms. Anderson, droned on about the Spanish-American War. It was October. Halloween was just a week away. 

The juniors and seniors were going to have a party at the old mine. There was no way they would allow any Freshmen to attend. It was for the older kids. He knew there would probably be beer and other things at the party. Part of him wished that he could go. 

He was sure that Lynda Jamison would be there. She was the head cheerleader and David had a crush on her. She was beautiful. Too bad she wouldn’t give him the time of day. She was a senior and didn’t know that he even existed. Of course she didn’t. He was a freshman. She had paraded through many fantasies and daydreams of his. 

He shook himself as the bell rang. It was a good thing old lady Anderson had not noticed him staring out the window. She would have had a cow. She was a very strict teacher and no one really liked her. 

“Don’t forget your homework tonight!” she said as the class made ready to leave. “I’ll be grading your papers this weekend.”

In the hallway next to his locker Mason was waiting for him. It was lunch time and they both shared the same lunch period. Mason had his lunch in a brown paper bag. He refused to eat cafeteria food. He claimed it made his stomach hurt. 

David actually enjoyed the cafeteria food. He particularly liked their hamburgers. He sometimes wondered if the beef came from the meat packing plant where his father worked. He would have to ask his dad. His dad was the shipping supervisor and would know.  

Mason went and saved them some seats as David went through the line. Today was chili day and it was something that he looked forward to. Their chili was good without being too spicy. 

As he sat down next to David, he noticed that Lynda Jamison was also sitting at the next table. She was sitting with several other girls and David wished he had the nerve to go over and say ‘hi’. He was afraid she would either ignore him, or at worse, laugh at him. 

He took a bite of his chili. It would taste much better if he were sitting next to Lynda.  

“What are you staring off into space about?” Asked Mason as he took a bite out of his ham sandwich.  He looked around and saw Lynda. He grinned. 

“What are you grinning about?” Asked David. 

“Man, you have got it so bad for her, don’t you? Might as well forget about it, Dude. She’s dating Jeff Richmond.” Jeff was the quarterback for the football team. 

“I know. I know. What makes you think I was thinking about her?”

Mason took a swig of chocolate milk. His favorite. ‘Well. You were looking over her way for one thing.”

David looked down at his chili. He took some crackers and crumbled them up and dropped them in the bowl.  As he stirred the crackers into the chili he said, “I don’t know who I’m kidding. She will never notice me.” 

There was a noise of a chair being pulled away from the table and a voice said, “Hi Losers!” Mason looked up and saw it was his cousin Ike. He groaned inwardly. 

David looked up and said, “What do you want?”

He took a handful of potato chips from the plastic bag sitting next to Mason’s sandwich and said, “We didn’t finish our little talk yesterday.”

David ate a spoonful of chili and said, “What’s to talk about? You walked away.” 

I just wanted to see how scared you were of Booger Woods.”

“What’s there to be scared? Don’t tell me you really believe in Long Tom.”

Ike said, with a gleam in his eye, “Well, there’s something in there.”

“Yeah,” said Mason, around a mouthful of sandwich, “Deer, Squirrel, maybe some coons.”

Ike glowered at Mason and reached for some more chips before having his hand knocked away by Mason. “I’m talking other things. I bet there will be witches in that clearing on Halloween.”

David laughed. “How do you know? Your mom going to be there?”

Ike stood up, “I ought to punch you in the mouth for that.”

David said, “Why don’t you? I gotta tell you though. I punch back.”

Ike said loudly for the surrounding tables to hear. “If you’re so brave I dare you to go into Booger Woods on Halloween! I dare you to go to the clearing and the shack.”

David said, “Yeah? You going to come with me to make sure I do it?”

Ike looked around for support and saw everyone looking at him waiting. 

“Or are you too chickenshit?” said Mason, barely concealing a grin. 

Ike looked at him, “You stay out of this.”

“Well, are you?” said David. “I suppose someone would have to go to make sure I went there.”

Ike looked around the room for support. Finding none, he said with a laugh that was supposed to show his bravery. “Yeah. I’ll go with you. I’ll make sure you go to the shack.”

Mason said, “I’ll go too. That way, there will be another witness.”

“Fine. Let’s meet after school and arrange this thing.” Ike got up and sauntered off, admittedly, not with the bravado he had earlier. 

“Hey Mase? Thanks for saying you’ll go.” Said David as he finished off his chili. 

“No problem, Dude. I wouldn’t miss seeing that cousin of mine shaking in his jambeaus for anything.” Said Mason, eating the last bite of his sandwich and starting on his apple. 

“You think he will?”

“Did you see the way he looked when you said he should go? That dude looked scared.”

“Are you scared, Mase?”

“Heck no! You don’t really believe all those stories about Booger Woods do you? I think that’s all they are. Just stories.”

“Are you really going to go to Booger Woods Halloween night or was that just talk?” Said a voice to his right.

David looked up into the blue eyes of Lynda Jamison. They were sky blue, he noticed. 

David looked down at his bowl and said, “Uh, yeah. We are really going out to Booger Woods. I wasn’t joking when I said I would go.”

“Neither was I.” Said Mason, crumpling up his lunch bag. 

She sat down. “That’s good. I was wondering if maybe I could go too. Jeff too.” “I thought you guys would be up at the Creech Hollow Mine party on Halloween.” Said David, finding his voice and the ability to look her in the eyes.

She rolled her eyes. “That party is getting to be a drag. All everyone does is get drunk and get high. Going out to Booger Woods sounds a lot more fun.”

“Ain’t you afraid of Long Tom?” asked Mason.

She laughed. “I don’t believe he exists but I would like to see that clearing and that shack.” 

“What about your boyfriend, Jeff?” Asked David. 

“Oh, he’ll go along. Hey! Maybe I can bring my Ouija Board and try and talk to some ghosts.”

Mason replied, “That would be cool. I’ll bring some candles.”

David said, “Candles? What for? We’ll have flashlights.”

Mason grinned, “For atmosphere. Who wants to do an Ouija Board with a flashlight?”

Lynda smiled, “Exactly. Hey, I’ve got to get to class. Be sure and let me know what time you guys decide to go. I’m looking forward to it.”

David watched her go as she exited the lunch room. When he looked back at Mason he was grinning. 

“Well, how about that?” he said, as he stood up. “Lynda wants to go to Booger Woods with us.”

“Yeah,” said David. “Too bad Jeff is coming too.”

“Well, you never know what can happen. He might get chickenshit and run.”

“Somehow I doubt that.”

Jeff was a big guy and he could really run and throw the ball. Rumor had it he was a shoe-in for a full ride scholarship to the University of Tennessee. 

David’s last class, Algebra, droned on and on for what seemed like forever. He was getting really tired of the teacher, Mr. Woolery, talking about the value of x and how to find it. Algebra was one of his best subjects but it sure could be boring. 

Mason, on the other hand, took General Math. He said there was no reason to make his skull sweat and besides, who used Algebra in real life? Mason had an unusual way of looking at things sometimes. 

He and David had been friends ever since the second grade. They both shared a love of science fiction, namely Star Trek. You rarely saw one of them without the other. 

On Saturdays, you could usually find them at the Golden Theatre. It was the only movie theater in town. They would be there for the matinee and stay until the theater closed. That was a nice thing about the theater. You could stay and watch the movie over and over again for free. 

When class was finally over, he met Mason by the bike rack. Ike was there and there were a few other guys hanging around. 

“Hey David!’ One of them called. “You really going to Booger Woods on Halloween night?”

David nodded while walking up. “Yep. Sure looks that way. Why? You want to come too?”

“Hell no!” said the boy. His name was Tyler. “You wouldn’t ever catch me going in Booger Woods.”

The other boys agreed. 

Ike called them a bunch of wimps but that didn’t change their minds about Booger Woods. 

They agreed to meet on Reynold’s road near Carver’s Creek at six thirty. That wasn’t far from Booger Woods or David’s house. They agreed to bring flashlights and candles as well as some water in case they get thirsty. 

Mason asked, “Do you guys think we’ll see anything?”

Ike said, “OF course not! There’s no such things as ghosts!”

David said, “Maybe Lynda and her Ouija Board will stir some things up.”

Ike said, “Lynda who?”

David replied, “Lynda Jamison. She said her and Jeff would come along too.”

“That’s just great! That’s all we need! Now that football jock will try and take charge.”

Mason said, “You didn’t think you were going to be in charge did you? I think that honor ought to be David’s.”

Before Ike could say anything David said, “You challenged me, remember? The only reason you’re coming along is to make sure I do it.” 

That quieted Ike down. 

On the way home, David thought about what they were going to do. He didn’t like disobeying his dad but this was a matter of pride. He wasn’t going to be a chicken, especially to Ike. No, this was something he had to do. He was glad Mason was coming along. That made him feel better about it. It also perked him up somewhat to think about Lynda coming along also. Even if she was bringing Jeff. 

Jeff was all right. He was an affable guy who didn’t terrorize freshmen or bully anyone. He seemed to get along with everyone. Too bad he was coming along though. David would have liked some one-on-one time with Lynda. Even if she wasn’t interested in him. 

Lynda had the bluest eyes he had ever seen. They were as blue as the sky when there were no clouds. He had a hard time looking into them when they were talking at lunch. 

He told himself that she would never be interested in him. He was a freshman and looked goofy. He thought he did anyway. He was what his mother called ‘tall and lanky’. Acne always threated to break out on his face but never seemed to quite make it. He thought his brown eyes were too far apart and his nose too big. Yeah, he would be some catch. 

That night at dinner it was just him and his mom. His dad had to work late. His mom spooned some corn onto his plate and asked, “So what are you going to do for Halloween? I assume it involves Mason.”

David swallowed a bite of chicken and said, “Probably not a lot. Just bumming around town maybe or watch some horror movies over at Mason’s.”

“Well, I don’t want you going up to the Mine. Sometimes I wonder why the police don’t break that little party up on Halloween.”

“In this little town? I don’t think the constable would want to try breaking it up. Don’t worry, Mom. We’re not going up to the Mine. Besides, the seniors don’t want any freshmen up there anyway.”

“I know that, Dear. Sometimes I think it is too bad we don’t have a real police force, just a town constable and he isn’t worth anything.”

Jarvis Marsten was the town constable and everyone agreed he was too old for the job. He did nothing but sit on the porch and watch the world go by. Law enforcement was largely done by the county sheriff who patrolled through town from time to time. 

“Well,” she said, taking a sip of sweet tea, “I don’t want you going around egging houses and rolling lawns. Okay?”

“Sure thing, Mom. We won’t do anything like that.”

“Good. I don’t want you boys getting into any trouble.”

“We won’t.”

The next day, David saw Lynda in the lunch room and walked over to the table she was sitting at with her friends. 

‘Uh, hi Lynda.” He said.

She looked his direction and smiled, “Hi David. What’s the plan?”

He told her where they planned on meeting and what time. She said she and Jeff would be there.

“Don’t forget your Ouija Board.”

She grinned. “I won’t forget it. You can count on it.”

Halloween Night

David zipped up his backpack. Inside it he had a flashlight, some extra batteries, his knife and some water. Maybe he could use the knife to score some trees so they could find their way back. It didn’t occur to him that it would be night and the marks would be difficult to see.

He let out on long breath of air. He had to admit that he was nervous. Part of him was saying that this was a very stupid idea. Booger Woods was a dark place. Even though hunters went there after squirrel and coons no one went there at night. It just wasn’t done. 

His mind went back to the other day when he and Mason paid Mrs. Nelson a visit after school had let out.

Her puppy, Woodrow, had been busily chewed on their shoes and clamoring for attention while they had talked to Mrs. Nelson.

“What do you boys want to know about Booger Woods?” She asked, sipping on a glass of sweet tea. 

“Well,” said David, taking a sip of tea. She sure did like it sweet. “We just want to know if what we heard about it is true.”

“Well now,” she said. “That depends on what you have heard.” She placed her tea glass on the end table next to her chair and waited expectantly. 

Mason leaned forward and said, “Is it true that witches meet there in that clearing? How about Long Tom? Does his ghost still wander around the woods looking for the people who lynched him?” He looked at David and shrugged as if to say, “Might as well get it all out in the open.”

She looked at them slyly. “Now why do you boys want to know about Booger Woods?”

David had already come up with an answer prior to them visiting her. “We’re doing some research for a school paper.”

She nodded to herself. “You are, are you? Just what kind of school paper is about what may be in Booger Woods?”

“It’s a folklore paper for my English class.”

She sat back and put her hands in her lap, “Well boys, there is a lot of strange things about Booger Woods. Something is not quite right about that place. The trees grow to close together and the underbrush is so thick. If you ever get the chance take a good look at those trees. They don’t grow straight like you think trees would. They are gnarled and bent, like an old man. 

Some people say you can’t hear birds in there. That’s not entirely true. Those woods seem to be full of whippoorwills. I’m sure you can hear them at night, David, from where you live.”

She took a sip of tea and continued. “There are people who go hunting in those woods. They don’t go in after dark though. Dogs tend to shy away from the deep woods and won’t go in. 

“What about the clearing?” Asked Mason. Both boys were paying rapt attention. 

“I was getting to that.” She replied. “No one knows what made that clearing. Someone told me it was almost a perfect circle. There is an old dead tree in the center of it. That clearing has been there for as long as I can remember.” 

She looked at the boys. “As far as witches meeting there on Halloween, that is a bunch of bull. If there were witches meeting there they stopped long ago.” She pointed at them. “But that doesn’t stop Booger Woods from being a dangerous place. 

“Moonshiners have killed and buried people in Booger Woods. I doubt there are any stills in there now but there used to be. Used to you could see the smoke rising from the fires of those stills over the trees. I don’t know what stopped the shiners from making their whiskey. Maybe something chased them out of the woods, I don’t know.”

She looked into their wide eyes. “I don’t know if the ghost of Long Tom roams those woods but something does. It has been seen and heard by too many people.”

“What did they see?” Asked Mason. 

“A tall, dark shape moving quickly through the trees in the moonlight.”

“Could it have been a bear?” asked David. There had never been a bear seen around or near Harme’s Way. 

She shook her head. “You know as well as I do there are no bears around here. Have to go to the Smoky Mountains to see a bear.” She sat back. “No, boys. It was something else. Something with a purpose. Something that wanders the woods only it isn’t lost. It knows where it is going.”

David shook his head at the memory.  The sun was beginning to set and already he could hear the whippoorwills. She had been right about that. That was the only bird you heard in Booger Woods. It was kind of creepy sounding. 

His mother stopped him in the kitchen as he headed for the back door. “David, you stay out of trouble tonight. I don’t want to hear about you throwing eggs or rolling yards or some other trouble.”

“I won’t, Mom. Don’t worry, I’ll stay out of trouble.” 

It was a quick ride down Reynold’s Road to the bridge over Carver’s Creek. Kids were already going from house to house trick or treating, their shouts and calls filling the night air. 

The air was crisp and he could smell leaves burning. Jack o’ Lanterns winked at him from the porches of the houses he passed, their cheery glow illuminating the faces of trick or treaters.

When he got to the bridge Mason and Ike were waiting for him. They had also road their bikes. 

“About time you got here. We were wondering if you chickened out!” Complained Ike as David got off of his bike. 

“You mean, you were hoping I chickened out.” said David as he adjusted his backpack. “I bet you were hoping I wouldn’t show up so you wouldn’t have to go to Booger Woods.” 

Mason laughed. “I wouldn’t be surprised.” He looked at David. “I knew you’d show up.”

David looked around. “Where’s Jeff and Lynda? Think they chickened out?” 

Mason checked his watch. “We’re early. Lets’ give them some time. I seriously doubt Jeff would chicken out.” David silently agreed. Jeff was a big guy with plenty of muscles. 

Fifteen minutes later Jeff and Lynda showed up. They were walking. Jeff must have left his car somewhere rather than leave it by the bridge. 

 “Hi David,” called Lynda as they walked up.  She was carrying a box. In the moonlight they could see the design on the box. It was an Ouija board. She saw them looking and said, “I told you I would bring it.”

After everyone exchanged greetings Jeff asked, “Okay. What’s the plan?”

They were standing near the bridge. Across the street from them was the old ice house. It had been standing abandoned for who knows how long. Its dark windows bore witness to what was going on at the bridge.  

David said, “I figured we would just walk back down the street and enter the woods when we got to Graves Road. Then, make our way north. The clearing and the shack are in the north part of the woods.” 

Mason said, “That sounds like a good plan to me. Did everyone bring a flashlight?” 

Everyone nodded assent. 

“Well,” said David. “No time like the present. Lets’ get going.”

They hid their bicycles under the bridge as Lynda lit a cigarette. 

She said, “I think that this is going to be pretty creepy.”

Ike said, “Not scared, are you?”

“A little.” She replied. “If you had any sense you would be scared too. How many times have you heard ‘Stay Away from Booger Woods’? Have you noticed no one ever calls it Graves Woods anymore?”

Jeff said, “Yep! You’re right.” He looked at Ike. “Be afraid, little man. Be very afraid.” Then he laughed as Ike glowered. 

As they walked down the street toward the woods Lynda asked David, “You live on Graves Road right?”

He nodded. 

“Have you ever been in Booger Woods?” 

He replied, “I’ve been in it during the day but never at night. My dad says it’s easy to get lost in there.”

Ike said, in a jeering voice, “Yeah, they lock up tight on that road at night. Guess they don’t want Long Tom to come a knocking.” He laughed to himself. 

Lynda inhaled on her cigarette one last time before tossing it on the road. It left a scattering of sparks.

Jeff said, “I have heard a lot of creepy stories about those woods. Almost as many as I have heard about the Mine.”

Mason said, “I have heard that the Mine is haunted too. You guys ever see or hear anything up there?”

Jeff shook his head. “Nobody goes very far into the Mine. Too creepy and might be a little dangerous too. I’m just surprised no one has ever come up there and run us off.”

Ike said, “I’ve been meaning to come up there some Halloween night and join the party.”

Jeff shook his head, “Forget about it, little man. No freshmen allowed. You won’t be welcome at a party there until you are at least a junior.” He laughed. “Even then, they might not let you stay.” 

“Yeah? Why’s that?”

Jeff looked at him and said, “Look at you. You’re a nerd. Hell, David and Mason might be welcome at that time but never you.”

For once, Ike was silent.

Up ahead was Graves Road and across the road was Booger Woods. Even at this distance the woods looked foreboding. They had left the houses behind them. It was just open fields on either side of Reynold’s Road. 

When they got to the edge of Graves Road they stopped a moment. The woods went right up to the edge of the road. 

David said, “Everybody got their flashlights?”

Beams of light quickly illuminated the section of woods in front of them.

Taking a deep breath, David plunged in, followed by Mason, Jeff, and Lynda with Ike bringing up the rear.  

No sooner than entering the woods they felt like they were in another world. The flashlight beams cast their yellow glows on the trees. The trees looked unnatural in the light. They grew too close together and some were twisted into weird shapes. The underbrush was thick and they were slowed by constantly having to push through it. 

There were no night sounds that they could discern. It seemed as if everything that inhabited the woods was waiting for something to happen. 

After pushing through the underbrush for what seemed like hours they found a path. It looked as though it was an animal path. What kind of animal they could not say. 

Lynda whispered, “It’s kind of creepy in here.”

Jeff replied, in the same hushed tone, “Do you want to turn back?”

“No. We have come this far. We may as well see it to the end. Besides, I want to use my Ouija Board.”

David said, “This path heads north. I think we ought to stay on it and see where it leads.”

Mason said, “That sounds like a good idea. Any objections?”

Ike said, from the rear. “It’s just an animal trail. No telling where it goes.”

“It’s got to go somewhere. Maybe it will lead to the clearing. That is supposed to be north of here anyway. The path heads that direction.” Without another word, David began following the path. The others hurried to catch up.

After an hour of walking along the path, they arrived at the clearing. It was odd. One minute they were in thick woods and the next they were out in the open. The sky was dark and cloudy. A full moon could be seen peeking through clouds. 

David checked his watch. It was seven thirty. He shown his flashlight around the clearing. It was overgrown with weeds and just off center was a large dead tree. It looked like it might have been a maple tree. 

As they stood in the clearing off in the distance they heard a whippoorwill. It was answered by another in the dark of the woods. 

Lynda said, “That’s the first thing I have heard all night. I was beginning to think these woods were uninhabited.” She lit a cigarette. 

Jeff looked at her and said, “You smoke too much.” 

She replied, “I don’t smoke that much. I’m just a little nervous.”

Mason said, “This clearing is kind of creepy.” He pulled out a camera and began taking pictures.

Ike said complainingly. “Man, I can’t believe you brought a camera. Is that Uncle Phil’s?”

“No, it’s my camera and besides, I want some kind of record that we were here. Thought it might be nice to show these around school.”

Jeff said as he pointed, “Hey! There’s a light near that tree!”

Everyone turned to look. Next to the dead maple tree there was a small orange light. 

The tree was about a hundred yards away. Down near the base could be seen an orange light. It flickered in the wind. 

Ike said, “Who’s gonna go see what that is?”

Mason looked at him. “Why don’t you go?”

Ike shook his head, “Nope. I’m not gonna go. I’m watching the rear.”

David said, “Why don’t we all go? We gotta go by there anyway to cross the clearing.”

Slowly, the moved forward, their flashlight beams trained on the light. As they got closer, they began to make out some detail. Whatever it was round and sitting on the ground. When they got a little closer, they could see that it was a face. It was a jack o’ lantern!

David’s first thought was that someone was playing a trick on them. It was no secret around school that they were there. Everyone knew.  But then it also occurred to him that he knew of no one who would venture this far just to put a jack o’ lantern near the tree. No, someone or something else did this.  

When they got to the tree they could see that it had a smiling face carved on it. David touched it. It was warm. He removed the top so he could see the candle. It was a big, thick, black candle. It had been burning for some time judging by the puddle of wax on the bottom of the pumpkin and the warmth of its skin. 

David said, “It’s been out here a while. That candle has been burning a long time.”

Mason said, “Yeah, but what’s it doing out here?” He took some pictures of it. 

“Damned if I know. Somebody put it out here.”

Ike said, in a sneering voice, “I bet you snuck out here earlier and put this pumpkin out here to scare us.”

David shone his light on Ike and said, “Think a minute. Why would I come out here and walk over an hour with a pumpkin only to put it by this tree? That’s ridiculous.”

“Well,” Ike replied, “You did know the trail led here.”

“I knew it led north.  The clearing was north of us. Did you forget already?” 

“Ike,” said Jeff, turning to face him. “You need to cool it. I don’t think anybody here thinks that he planted the pumpkin. It’s a stupid idea. Besides, if he did do it, the wind would have blown out the candle by now. I’m surprised that it hasn’t already.”

Ike looked at Jeff and lapsed into a sullen silence. 

Lynda said, “You think what they say about the witches’ coven meeting out here is true and they left that?”

Mason replied, “I don’t think so. Anyway, if a coven were meeting out here it would make sense for them to meet at midnight, not now.” He checked his watch. “It’s eight o’clock.”

“Well,” said Ike. “Do you think Long Tom carved it?””

David laughed and sat it down on the ground. “If Long Tom is real why would a ghost carve a pumpkin and not only that, where would he get it? He can’t just walk in a store and lay down a few bucks and get a pumpkin.”

The others, except for Ike, chuckled.

“No,” said David. “What we have here is a mystery. Someone carved this pumpkin and left it here for some reason. Maybe as a marker.”

“A marker for what?” asked Jeff, as he knelt down beside the pumpkin. 

“I don’t know,” replied David. “But I think we need to keep on moving. I remember hearing people say that Long Tom’s shack is northeast of the clearing. Don’t know how far. These woods go on for miles. Stay together, it is easy to get lost in here.”

As they walked on, Ike looked back and saw the glow of the pumpkin gradually get smaller as they put some distance between it and them. The glow had lost its cheeriness and somehow seemed to be ominous and foreboding. 

David didn’t say anything but the pumpkin really bugged him. Who put it out here? Why? Did they mean for it to be found? He had made a little joke about it but he really wondered about it. Could the witches meeting out here be true and this pumpkin was a marker or some sort? 

The candle had been black. Not too many people had black candles and he was sure that no one in town sells them. And what about Long Tom? If the witches were true could the stories about him be true? Old Mrs. Nelson seemed to think that Long Tom was real or at least something roamed these woods. He was beginning to wonder if it was such a good idea to come out here. 

A tap on the shoulder startled him. It was Mason. “You seemed pretty deep in thought.”

“Yeah. I was wondering about the pumpkin.”

“Me too. How do you think it got out here?”

“Haven’t a clue. Somebody carved it and put it out here though. Maybe we’ll find out more when we get to the shack.”

“How much farther do you think it is?” asked Lynda, who had been following the conversation.

“Well,” said David. “We’re not out of the clearing yet. It’s supposed to be northeast of here. I checked my compass and we are headed in the right direction. It’s hard to say. I’ve heard different things. Some say it is a mile or two from the clearing. Others say its right next to it. I guess we’ll see.”

Jeff said, “I hope we find it soon. I’m getting a little tired of walking.”

Ike said, “Yeah. Lets’ take a break or something.” 

David said, “That sounds good.” 

They sat on the ground in a circle.  The night air was cool and crisp. Winter was not that far off. Although they did not get much snow it did get cold and wet. 

Lynda lit a cigarette and said, “It’s pretty creepy out here. It would really be bad if you were alone.”

Mason nodded. “Yeah, not that it is a picnic now.” He laughed and reached into his backpack and pulled out an apple. He bit into it and the crunch was very audible. 

“What are we going to do when we get to the shack?” asked Ike.

Lynda said, “We’re going to try and contact any spirits that might be around.”

“Yeah,” said Mason. “And I will try and get pictures of them. Besides, I’m planning on doing my history report on Long Tom and what he did. These pictures will guarantee me an ‘A’.”

Ike said, “Maybe you can get Long Tom to pose with you.” His joke fell flat. No one laughed.

After Lynda finished her cigarette and Mason his apple they decided to continue on. 

It had become even cloudier. You could no longer see the moon. Without the flashlights they would not have been able to see their hands in front of their faces. 

As they prepared to enter the woods again, David said. “Everyone stay close. It would be way too easy to get lost.” 

The flashlight beams seemed almost inadequate in the thick woods. If anything, the trees were even thicker here. The trees were a little unnerving to look at it. They were grotesque caricatures of what trees should look like. Their bark was all dark and the trees were twisted into weird shapes. It was as if they had not grown properly. They also grew close tighter. So close that in some cases they had to find a way around them.   

David almost walked into a big spider web. It had been the first sign of life they had seen in the forest since they heard the whippoorwills early on. He was careful to warn the others and not disturb the web. He did not see the spider and didn’t want to. The spider that made that web must have been a monster. 

Up ahead, they found a path. It, too, looked like an animal path but they decided to follow it. It was a lot easier than pushing their way through the brush. 

For a while, the only sounds were made by Mason taking pictures. From time to time he would stop and reload his camera. He must have brought a lot of film.

David checked his watch. They had been walking for an hour and a half. He was about to call a halt and rest when he saw it up ahead, on the edge of his flashlight beam. 

They had found it. They had found Long Tom’s shack or rather, what was left of it. 

Weather and the elements had done a number on it. It was dilapidated and looked as if a strong wind would topple it over. The front door was a yawning opening that opened into blackness. There were holes in the walls and the single window was bereft of glass. A tree was growing out of the shack. Its limbs reaching for the sky as in a futile attempt to break free of the confining walls. 

“Well,” said David, turning around. “I think we are here.”

“Are we going in?” Asked Lynda. 

“Do you think it’s safe?” Asked Ike.

“I think there is only one way to find out.” Taking a deep breath, David began to walk closer. He was up to his waist in overgrown weeds. He would definitely have to check himself for ticks when all of this was over. Soon, he stood at the entryway. 

The entryway, the door long gone, yawned like the mouth of an open cave. It was pitch black inside.  He shone his light in. Near the east wall, or what was left of it, a tree grew. Its’ roots had splintered the rotting floor. Kudzu was hanging from the branches. 

The rest of the floor was rotten and down to the dirt in spots. There was no furniture. He was surprised that the shack was still standing, after all this time. On the west wall was the open window. 

He shown his light up at the roof. There were numerous holes and the tree had created a large one as it fought its way to the sunlight. There were numerous spider webs but he could see no spiders. That was probably a good thing. 

“Well?” came a voice. It was Mason. “What do you see?”

“A lot of nothing.” Replied David. “This place has been abandoned for a very long time. Come on.”

The others waded through the tall weeds until they stood at the entrance. 

“Are we going in or are we just going to stand here?” Asked Jeff. 

Without a word, David went in. Mason was close behind. 

“Watch for spider webs.” said David. “I didn’t see any spiders but that doesn’t mean they aren’t there.”

The others came in, watching for the spider webs. Being inside the shack was an unnerving experience. Here they were where Long Tom raped and murdered his victims. 

David recalled how the townspeople had found the graves in back of the shack and taken the remains back to town here they were given a proper burial. Long Tom had been hung from a tree without even a trial. It was said they left his body hanging from the tree until it rotted and fell off. 

David wondered if it had been the lone tree that was in the clearing. He was about to say something about it but Lynda spoke up. 

“Do you think we should try and find the tree that he was hung from? That way we could use the Ouija Board where he died.” 

David replied. “I was just thinking about that. I was wondering if he was hung from the tree that was in that clearing. If we were to do that, we would have to go all the way back there. If there is a ghost, maybe it came back to the shack.” 

Ike said, “Do you really think you are going to find any ghosts? My old man says there is no such thing as a ghost of Long Tom.”

“My dad says the same thing. But look around, if ever a place looked haunted this is it. There’s got to be a reason everyone stays away from Booger Woods. Did you see the trees? See how weird they looked?”

“Yeah,’ said Mason. “Did you think it was weird that there weren’t any night noises? Except for those two birds we heard. No, I think there is something about this place. Something…wrong.”

“That’s it!” Said Jeff. “Those was the words I was looking for. This place is unreal. I can’t wait to tell the guys on the team about this.” He looked around. “It is kind of spooky though.” 

Lynda said, “Well, there is no time like the present. Lets’ get those candles lit.”

Mason took off his backpack and removed six tea candles. He had swiped them from the cupboard in his mom’s kitchen. 

Lynda arranged them on the floor and her and Mason lit them. Once they were lit Lynda said, “Okay. We need to turn off our flashlights.”

One by one the flashlights went out. The only illumination was provided by the candles. The candles cast eerie shadows on the walls of the shack.

Somehow the darkness seemed more overpowering with just the candles lighting the room. They pushed back the darkness a tiny bit but it was as if the darkness was taking over the candles. They seemed weak compared to the engulfing blackness. 

Lynda took the Ouija board out of the box and stood in the center of the candles and said, “Okay. Everyone come inside the candles.”

When they were standing in the area inside the candles she placed the board on the floor and said “Everyone kneel.” 

She took out the planchette and sat it in the center of the board. “Now, each of you place a finger on the planchette.”  One by one they placed their fingers on the planchette until everyone was touching it. 

“Now. Who wants to talk?” said Lynda. 

“You do it, Lynda. After all, it’s your board.” Said David. 

She took a deep breath and spoke to the air. “Is there anyone with us tonight?”

They kept their eyes on the planchette. It didn’t move. Ike whispered, “This is stupid. It’s not going to work.”

He grew silent at everyone’s stares. 

After a few minutes Lynda said again, “Is there someone there who wants to speak?”

Nothing. 

After a few minutes, David was about to tell them it was time to get out of there the planchette twitched. David looked down and it moved again. 

“Is anyone moving it?” He asked.

He got negative replies from everyone. 

It jerked again then began to move more steadily. It stopped and was pointing at the YES.

“Who are you?” asked Lynda. 

A few seconds later it began move toward the letters.

O…N...E… O...F… M…A…N…Y…

Lynda looked up, wide eyed. “I swear I didn’t move it.” She said.

“What is your name?” Asked David.

S…A...R…A…H

“Sarah,” said Lynda. “How many of you are there?”

M…A…N…Y

“Why are you here?” asked Mason. 

C…A…N…N…O…T   E…S…C…A…P…E

The looked at each other.  Unbidden, the planchette began to move on its own. 

G…E…T  O…U…T   N...O…W   H…E   C…O…M…E…S

Then one final chilling word. 

R…U…N

Just then something rolled through the doorway. It was large and slightly round. It came to a stop at Jeff’s feet. They looked down with wide eyes and their mouths agape. It was the pumpkin from the tree. It was no longer lit but the cheery face looked somehow sinister in the candlelight provided by the tea candles.  

Lynda screamed and that seemed to galvanize the rest of them. “I’m getting the hell out of here!” Jeff ran for the door. 

“Wait Jeff!’ Shouted David. “We need to stay together!” His cry fell on deaf ears. Jeff was already out of sight. 

Mason said, “We need to get out of here!”

Lynda was in shock that Jeff ran out on her. 

David went into action. He took her by the arm and said, “Let’s get out of here! Everyone stay together!”

They left the shack and the Ouija board behind. 

It was pitch black outside. The clouds had draped the night sky and covered the moon and stars. Off in the distance, they could hear Jeff yelling. It sounded far off. He must have covered a lot of ground in that short amount of time.

David had Lynda by the arm. She was sobbing. Mason and Ike were close behind. 

Ike said, “How will we get out of here? It took us hours to get here.” He was almost frantic with fear.

David was trying to think. His first thought was for Lynda. He wasn’t about to go looking for Jeff. That would just get them lost. As it was, they very well might be lost. He reasoned that if they kept due south, they would run into the road eventually. They would have to try it. 

He pulled out his compass and found the right direction. It didn’t look good. With all the trees it would be tough heading in one single direction. It could be done but it was going to be slow going. 

He said, “Look. I think I can get us out of here but we have to head south. I think Jeff might have headed that direction.” He said that last bit for the benefit of Lynda. 

“Aren’t we going to find Jeff? What if it gets him?” She asked. 

Mason said, “If we go looking for Jeff, we will get lost ourselves. When we get back to the road we’ll get our parents. They will know what to do.”

They began the slow trek south. They went as fast as they could. Jeff’s yells were far off now. There was no telling where he was. That pumpkin had really unnerved him. It had unnerved all of them. The Ouija board had told them to run. It did not say from what. Just that he was coming.  Who was coming? Was it Long Tom?

David felt goosebumps on his arms and was sure the others felt the same thing. Ghosts can’t hurt you. Can they? 

There was no telling which way Jeff had went. They should have stayed together. 

Lynda shakily lit a cigarette as they were walking and said, “I can’t believe he ran off and left me like that.” Her voice quavered. “Do you really think we can get out of here?” This last was directed toward David. 

David nodded. “I think so. We are going to try anyway. We just need to keep calm and head south.”

Ike said, “Who do you think threw that pumpkin in there?” There was a tremor in his voice. 

Mason replied, “Maybe it was Long Tom. Maybe there is something to the stories.”

“You really think so?”

Well, something did it. I don’t think anyone followed us into the woods and I don’t think anyone is out here trying to scare us.” He held the light up to his face. “I just know we got to get out of here.”

David said, “We got to stay together and everybody stay focused. Don’t wander off and don’t panic and start to run. All that will do is get you lost like Jeff.”

Lynda quietly sobbed at the mention of his name. 

David tried to comfort her. “Maybe he will find his way out another way, Lynda. We can’t go looking for him. We’ll get more lost than we already are. It’ll be okay.” He tried to sound convincing. He didn’t know if he was trying to convince her or trying to convince himself. 

She sniffled and nodded. 

David was afraid. He tried not to show it but his mind was racing. Who had thrown that pumpkin into the shack? It had been enough to send Jeff over the edge. He was the star player on the football team. No doubt he had put some serious distance between himself and the shack in that short amount of time. 

He didn’t know if they were going to be able to get out of the woods. All he had was his compass to provide them a direction to go. He was sure that going south would get them out. 

Not for the first time, he wished he had not taken Ike up on his dare. He was sure that Ike was regretting it too. For once he wasn’t running his mouth. 

David looked back and saw Ike bringing up the rear. Every now and then Ike would look back. That was good he was keeping an eye on their rear.  Hopefully, they weren’t being followed. 

They walked on. Each one silent and trying not to panic. There were some night noises that had manifested themselves as they walked. There was a rustling in the underbrush nearby that shot a lump of fear into their throats. 

Off in the distance they heard screaming. It was loud and sounded as if the person was in agony. 

“Oh Jeff!” Cried Lynda. She began sobbing anew.  She covered her ears with her hands. 

They all stopped to listen. The screams were loud and hoarse. They sounded like they coming from somewhere up ahead. 

Wherever they were coming from, it was not very far. 

After a while, the screaming stopped. The silence was almost just as bad. It made David wonder now that it was done with Tom, would it come after them?

“C’mon!” he hissed. “Let’s get moving!”

After what seemed like an eternity, they stumbled into the clearing. It was a relief from struggling to walk among the trees. 

David knew the path was somewhere on the south side. They walked quickly across the clearing. 

As they neared the tree, Mason called, “Look!” His flashlight beam had illuminated the trunk of the tree and on that tree there was something wet and shiny. It was red. 

Lynda gasped and her hands went to her mouth. 

There was a lot of blood and something else. In place of the pumpkin, there was a pair of shoes. They were Jeff’s and they were full of blood. 

Lynda screamed. David grabbed her by the arms and shook her. “You have to be quiet!” He whispered. “I know this is awful but we don’t know if Jeff is alive or dead. He could be alive!”

She had quieted down and said, “But all the blood…”

Mason Interrupted, “We’re not sure if it is his. It could be an animal.” 

Ike said, “Yeah, Lynda. There is no way to know if it is Jeff’s.”

Lynda’s voice quavered. “I wish we had never come out here.”

She wasn’t the only one thinking that.

 David was already having some serious regrets about this excursion and he was sure that Mason was also. You could tell just by looking at Ike that he wished he were somewhere else. 

He was alarmed at all of the blood. You could smell it. He didn’t want to panic, not in front of Lynda. She was barely hanging on as it was.

“Come on,” he said. “We got to keep moving.” He oriented himself with his compass and with him in the lead, they moved on. 

“What do you suppose did it?” Whispered Mason to David. “Long Tom?”

David shook his head. “I don’t think ghosts can do things like that. I think it was something else.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know and I don’t really want to find out. Remember what Mrs. Nelson said? Something big and dark, that roams the woods with a purpose.”

“Think she was just trying to scare us away from the woods?”

David grinned sardonically. “What do you think?”

They found the path. It was difficult to find. Just when he was about to give up, Mason spotted it. 

With a sigh of relief, David led them down the path. 

If coming up the path had been bad, going south on it was worse.  Branches kept slapping them in the face and snagging their clothes. It was almost as if the trees were trying to hinder them.  They all suffered from scratches from the tree branches and bushes that they moved against. 

After about an hour Ike said, “I think I heard something behind us.”

They all stopped. The woods were silent. There was not even the call of a whippoorwill in the night. 

After a few minutes they began moving again. David wasn’t sure if nerves were getting to Ike or if he actually heard something. It was so easy to get rattled in these woods. David was doing everything he could do to stay calm. Part of him wanted to run off screaming down the path.  He couldn’t do that though. He was the ipso facto leader. He had to get them out. Especially Lynda. He could feel her hand firmly grasping his. Any other time that would have made him giddy. But now was not the time. 

Up ahead there was a rustle in the bushes. They froze. When it did not occur again they began moving. 

As they got closer to where they heard the rustling their flashlights picked out something on the path. As they got closer, they could see it was a flat board. It was the Ouija Board. There was something written on it in red. It looked like blood. It said one single word. 

DIE. 

David froze. He tried to keep Lynda from seeing this but it was too late. She opened her mouth to scream but David was quicker. 

He covered her mouth and said quietly, his voice trembling. “Don’t make a sound. Whatever did this has to be nearby. We have to get out of here and we have to be quick about it. Don’t run. You’ll get lost and who knows what might happen. I’m going to remove my hand. Don’t scream.”

He slowly removed his hand and she closed her mouth. Her eyes were glassy with terror.  

He looked at the others. They were white-faced in the light of the flashlights, which were beginning to grown dim. David quickly changed his batteries and watched as Mason and Ike put in fresh ones in their lights. Lynda just stood there holding her light. Her eyes had a very faraway look in them. 

David shook her gently, but with enough force to bring her around. “Don’t freak out on me and go into shock. We have to get out of here and you can’t do that in that condition.”

She nodded slowly and Mason helped her change the batteries in her flashlight.

Outwardly, David tried to appear calm. Like it or not, he was their leader. H had to get them out. The road couldn’t be that much further. 

It was safe to assume that Jeff was dead. Something had killed him and was now toying with them. If it was trying to scare them it was doing a damn good job. 

What could it be? It wasn’t a ghost. That much he was sure of. It was intelligent and had obviously been following them and even getting ahead of them to plant that Ouija Board on the path. He tried not to think about the blood on it. 

He found himself wishing for his dad. His dad would know what to do. His dad had a gun. 

He wondered if they would make it out alive. He hoped so. Not for the first time, he was wishing that he had not accepted that dare. He looked over at Ike. Ike had been silent for much of the trip back. His eyes were wide with fear. This wasn’t fun and games for him either. 

David asked, “Ike? You okay?”

Ike nodded slowly. “I just want to get out of here.”

Mason said, “You’re not the only one.”

Lynda shakily lit a cigarette. She looked pale in the light of the flashlight. “I’m feeling a little better now.” She looked at David. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

They continued on, each of them avoiding the bloody Ouija Board on the path. They were silent and trying not to make as little noise as possible while walking on the path. 

If they could have, they would have turned off the flashlights. Those flashlights were practically screaming, “Hello! Here we are!” If there had been a moon David would have suggested it but the sky was pitch-black as it was covered with clouds. 

It seems as though they had been walking for hours. It couldn’t be much further, could it?

Up ahead, David’s flashlight picked out the large spider web they had passed earlier. That was encouraging. They were on the right track. This time the spider was sitting in the center of the web. It was a large Orb spider. Harmless, but they avoided it anyway. 

David was wondering what was going to happen next. What would they find on the path up ahead? He conjured up all manner of things in his mind. This was just like the stories in his horror magazines. Except in his magazines this usually happened to the bad guys. They were not ‘bad guys’. They were just some kids out in the woods. 

They had gone too far and too deep into them. He should have listened to his dad and stayed out of the woods. Well, it was too late to listen to him now. 

He hoped that when he made it out that his dad could do something about Jeff. He was sure that Jeff was dead. Almost positive. That had been a lot of blood at the tree. You usually don’t bleed like that and live. 

He wondered what had done it. It couldn’t have been an animal. They had not seen any other signs of life except for hearing the whippoorwills and then seeing the spider. 

To his knowledge, ghosts, if they were real, could not physically do anything to someone. That was what he had learned from his horror magazines and the books he had read. 

Then there was Lynda. She was barely holding it together. He still held her hand and she was smoking with the other. Since they had started walking again she had been chain smoking. Her eyes had a glassy look to them and she did not say much.  All of this had almost sent her into shock. 

His mind went back to what had happened in the shack. Since they had left he had not given much thought to it but now he wondered who Sarah was. She had said she was ‘one of many’. Did that mean she was one of the kids who had been murdered and that was who the rest of ‘many’ were?

He had best put all of that out of his mind for now and concentrate on getting them out of here. That was the priority. He could think about the other stuff later.

He was tired and sure the others were too. They couldn’t stop though. Stopping could be fatal. 

“You’re deep in thought again.” said Mason. 

“Yeah, I was just thinking we got to be getting close now. Can’t be much further.”

“You really think we’ll get out of here?”

He looked at Mason. “I hope so.”

Lynda said in a voice that was unsteady, “I can’t believe Jeff is gone. He should have never ran off like he did.”

Ike spoke up, “That pumpkin really scared him.” 

Mason said, “It scared all of us.”

“Do you think he’s…”

Mason interrupted him. “I don’t know. Right now we need to concentrate on getting our asses out of here. Now keep an eye on our rear.”

They walked along in silence. 

They had been walking about an hour when David called a halt. 

He said, “We should be coming up on the road any minute now. When we get there, we head for my house. My dad will know what to do.”

“What can he do?” asked Ike. “Organize a search party to look for Jeff? Do you think he will find any takers to go into these woods and look for him?” He didn’t say ‘his body’. Even he didn’t want to upset Lynda any more than she already was.

Just then something hit the path in front of them. David quickly shown his light. It was a ‘Vols’ ball cap.  It was splattered with blood. 

Lynda bit off a scream. 

David cautiously looked around with his light. He didn’t see anyone hiding in the trees and bushes. That didn’t mean anything. It would be so easy to hide in all of the underbrush. 

He walked up to the ball cap and gingerly probed it with is foot. There was something in it. He turned it over. There was a mass of brown hair. It was attached to skin. He looked closer. It was a bloody scalp. 

Swallowing hard, he put himself between it and Lynda. 

“What is it?” asked Mason. “What do you see?”

“Nothing,” he said. “It’s just a cap. Come on, lets’ get out of here. The sooner we get moving, the sooner we will get to the road.”

He took his light off the cap and move them along. He didn’t want to think of what he just saw. That couldn’t have been a scalp, could it? It had hair and there was skin. He shuddered. They couldn’t get to the road soon enough for him. When he got out of here he would never go to the woods again. 

Just when he was going to call another halt to check their direction, Lynda gasped, “I see some light in the trees!”

David and Mason looked to where she was pointing. There was a light! It was high above the ground and they could see it through the branches of the trees. It was a streetlight!

They ran as fast as they could for the light. Soon, they felt asphalt under their feet. They had made it to the road.

They laughed with relief and Lynda began crying. 

Something clattered at their feet. Several something’s. Mason searched around with his flashlight and then swore softly. David and Ike looked at what his light illuminated. It was a tooth. 

David looked around with his light. There were several teeth on the road about their feet. He shown his light at the point where they exited the forest in time to see a dark figure walking away. It was large and moved purposefully down the path. He said nothing about what he saw. Lynda was barely hanging on and he didn’t want to send her into hysterics. She had seen the teeth but held her composure. 

They practically ran down Grave’s Road toward David’s house. 

No one ever found Jeff’s body. A search party organized by David’s father and later, the County Sheriff’s office turned up nothing. They couldn’t even find the Ouija Board or the cap.

The four survivors were questioned at length about what had happened but in the end it was called ‘Death by Misadventure’.

Around the school they were regarded as heroes. The experience had changed them all; especially Lynda. She smoked more and had quit the cheerleading team. 

One bright Saturday, there was a knock on the door at David’s house. It was Mason. He and David walked back to David’s room and Mason shut the door. 

“What’s up?” asked David.

“Take a look at these.” He held out some pictures. “They are the pictures I took that night.”

David shook his head. “I don’t even want to be reminded of that night.”

“You got see these.”

David reluctantly took them. “Look in the shadows near the shack.” 

He did. It took him a minute to see it. It was a dark figure in the trees watching them. Mason showed him the one he took of the jack o’ lantern. In the trees they could see a figure. 

David looked up. “You show these to anybody else?”

Mason said, “I’m going to show them to my dad.”

David nodded. “What do you think it was?”

Mason shrugged. “I don’t know. But it got Jeff, whatever it was.”

“Yeah, but why didn’t it get the rest of us?”

Mason sighed. “I don’t know. I’ve been asking myself that question too. Maybe it just wanted one of us and Jeff was the easiest target since he ran off. That’s what I think anyway.”

Then he asked. “How is Lynda doing?”

“She’s coming back to school next week. Seems to be doing okay. Still mourning Jeff.”

“The whole town is.”

“Yeah.”

“After you show those pictures to your dad let me borrow them so I can show mine. That way he won’t think I’m crazy.” 

“Okay.”

“Want to go see Lynda? I think she can have visitors now.”

“Okay. Let’s go.”

The End

By Larry W. Bumpus