Near the outskirts of The Nash Stream Forest rests a small community around Cedar Pond. It's a small and quiet lake in the northern part of New Hampshire. A large rainstorm that loomed over the county raised the ponds waters nearly to the road. The pond had turned black and choppy from the storm as violent winds howled past Nash Stream.
In a small cabin, a young girl by the name of Isabella sat sipping sweet tea and watching T.V. as the rain made a drumbeat against the metal roofing. Her mother Kristen was fast asleep in her bedroom trying to fight back against her cold. Isabella looked on happily as her shows played. She was only twelve years old and had a passion for drawing. She picked up her sketchbook and began to draw some of her favorite characters, Spongebob, Hello Kitty, and then her personal favorite Winnie the Pooh. She had gotten quite good at drawing what she could see. However, her skill for drawing original characters still needed quite a bit of improvement. She couldn't seem to break away from the cartoony styles she practiced.
As the storm overhanging the town grew further away the wind seemed to die down. Small flurries of rain continued as a grim fog the color of ash set over the pond. The fog was thick and dark, the kind that many wouldn't feel safe in. However, there was something that seemed to welcome the forbidding fog. There was an ancient legend that was passed around in New Hampshire of a strange and tall creature that would stalk the people of Coos County. It was described as lanky and lumbering with pale white skin, claws the size of knives, and bulging beady eyes. Some called it the Wood Devil, but most seemed to prefer The Wendigo.
Out of the bushes of the Nash Stream Forest, a pale white hand felt about cautiously. The sound of shifting leaves and distant thunder alarmed the creature. It was cautious by nature but highly combative. It placed its bony claws into the dirt as it slithered out of the brush. The Wendigo was ugly and sinister looking as it walked on all fours. It crept towards the waterfront looking for a drink. Blood was smeared across its maw from an unfortunate fox incident earlier that day. The creature stepped into the waters of the pond and lowered its head to drink. It stepped back and began to sniff the water as it could smell the fish that swam deep within the lake. It's lust for blood grew as it could now hear the beating hearts of every creature in the water. The Wendigo slowly lowered into the water before completely disappearing beneath the surface
Back at the cabin, Isabella pressed every button she could think to get the T.V. working again. The screen had become a torrent of fuzzy lines as it lost signal. It seemed the T.V. was experiencing some sort of interference even though the storm had mostly passed. Frustrated, Isabella turned it off before walking over to the window. She rested on the window sill and pouted as she stared at the fog over the pond that was slowly dissipating. It was becoming clear enough for her to be able to draw a picture of it.
While scanning the area for a starting point, she noticed something strange about the water. The rain had died down yet the water seemed to thrash about towards the center. Large bubbles broke off the surface, and small pools of red began to form as the water calmed. She stayed attentive looking for what caused such a weird occurrence. About a minute later a pale white figure rose slowly from the dark water. It's very appearance contrasting the pond in such a hideous way. In its maw, a trout struggled as blood ran down the beast's chin.
Isabella was horrified, she had never seen such a repulsive and terrifying creature in her life. However, she couldn't seem to look away. She pulled out her sketch pad and began to draw the creature. She drew its pale hairless skin, its dark bulging eyes, and its long and almost snake-like appendages that became clearer as the creature came closer to the land. She was close to finished the drawing as she looked back once more to see the creature. However this time the creature remained still, the rainbow trout fell from its jagged teeth and collided hard with the ground. A chill as cold as ice rang down Isabella's spine as the creature stood there staring through her. Its eyes bulging more than before, and its jaw slightly open with the same bloodlust as before.
Isabella thrust the curtain shut out in terror, as the sound of a feral scream seemed followed. She made a break for her mother's room but stopped dead in her tracks as a loud bang on the roof shook the cabin. Everything had gone menacingly silent now as Isabella began to cry. She held her hands over her mouth so she wouldn't be heard. She heard a low growling on the roof, but it seemed to move away from her. Isabella began to walk through the long hallway leading to her Mother's room.
Isabella tried to duck down under the window in the middle of the hall, but something was wrong. She could no longer hear the sinister beast she had seen outside. She looked up to peak out the window to see if it had left. She looked and saw the head of the beast staring at her from outside of the window. It was even uglier up close. It had the head of a Stag, but the front part of its jaw was missing its skin revealing only bloody bone, and rows of jagged teeth. Frozen with pure terror as she stared back into the creatures pitch black eyes. It drew back its claws and shattered the window. It wrapped its arms around Isabella before heading back into the depths of the Nash Stream Forest.
