Scary Stories And Tales (Can you handle it?)

The Blue Hole

Every small town has their own storyteller. Usually someone way past their prime, one whose own generation help establish the community. I suppose they fell its their God given right to scare the local kids and occasional passerby with their tales. Our local “historian” was Old Man Janson. Seventy seven years old, skin like a football and less teeth than a two year old child. His favorite place to wonder about was the general store. Day after day he would rest in the rocking chair that sat upon the porch attached to the general store. Talking constantly to anyone who would listen to his crazy stories of the witch who lived in the woods by Green Lake, or the tale of the first time he saw a buck he thought it was the Devil himself. As a kid my friends and I would sit around that rickety, old rocking chair and devour each word that spilled passed his wrinkly lips. My favorite story was of the Blue Hole.

The Blue Hole was four miles pass the Johnson place; my grandparents home. It was deeper than the eye could see, the tunnel so black it almost looked blue. Old Man Janson would talk about all the cows and horses who would wander into the Blue Hole and never come out. Some say they would hear screams, from what the old man would say.  I had seen the blue hole before, but being  a nine year old boy I was too afraid to get even ten feet in front of it.

My best friends at the time, Joe and Adam, were also amazed about the Blue Hole. They had been with me and my grandparent’s farm, and had begged to go to the hole, but my grandparents would only allow us to play in the fields on the other side of the farm. On on particular day, as we set around Old Man Janson, sipping on soda pop and nibbling on moon pies, the Old Man once more began to wow us with the tales of the dark tunnel.

” Did I ever tell you about the boy, what was it? Back in fourty five. Boy’s name was.. Stu. Careless boy, he was. Went down to that old Blue Hole one summer afternoon. Probably looking for a tree to climb. Ol’ Stu would climb the biggest tree he could find a just jump right off! Broke his arm three times from what I hear. Anyway, he snuck out on your grandpappy’s farm and traveled down to the Blue Hole. Never heard from again. I was fishing down at the lake, not too far from that hole, and heard his screams. Sounded like something was eating at him. Yep, that careless boy found himself to be a snack for some nameless creature that calls his home the hole.”

This gave my friends Joe and Adam and idea. Though they didn’t tell me at the time, but they were gonna go and see that hole once and for all.

One Saturday afternoon, after helping my grandpa feed the pigs. I was preparing to go fishing down at Green lake. Fishing pole in one hand and a lunch pail in the other, I sat off on my excursion. As I walked towards the Blue Hole, I ventured out a little further to keep my distance from the darkness. I had always been afraid of that tunnel, but since Old Man Janson’s story I decided that I would now walk twenty feet further from it. As I got to a safer distance, I heard whispers. I stopped and scanned the area only to find Joe and Adam heading for the blue hole.

” What are ya’ll guys doing out here?” I asked my friends.

Joe replied “We’re gonna find that monster Old Man Janson was talking about. I wanna see its eyes!”

“Yeah, it’s eyes!” Adam repeated.

“Guys, those are just stories. You know there is no such thing as a monster,” I told them.

“Well, we will see about that!” Joe and Adam said in unison.

They ventured further toward the Blue Hole. Scared as I was, I followed them. Not sure why I did to this day. I wish it would’ve never happened. I curse Old Man Janson for his crazy tales.

Flashlights in hand, my friends stood on the outside of the hole peering into the depth of the darkness.

“You ain’t gonna be able to see nothing,” I told them. ” Let’s just get outta here.”

Adam scoffed. ” C’mon Jesse, don’t be a chicken.”

” Yeah!” Joe chimed in. ” I wanna see me a dang monster. I ain’t scared of nothing!” Joe picked up a rock next to the opening and tossed it inside. ” Come on monster! Got a meal here for ya! ” He continued to chuck rocks into the darkness. He grabbed my lunch pail out of my hands and took out the turkey sandwich my grandma had prepared for me and threw it as hard as he could into the hole. We stood there, the three of us, in complete silence. It seemed as though the whole wooded area stood still. The birds in the trees seemed as though they stopped chirping. Waiting.

“Awww, there ain’t nothing in there! That old goon was just spinning lies. Let’s just go home, Adam.” Joe said. They turned around and began to head back to the farm. I decided to join them. As we walked away from the hole, a terrible shriek echoed through the woods. It sounded like a woman’s scream. We suddenly stopped, almost to scared to move. Our heads moved back and forth, scanning the area. The shrieks kept going, and we were not sure where they were coming from. They sounded as though they were coming from everywhere. Joe’s eyes got as big as half dollar coins.

” It’s that monster! I know it! I’m gonna go see! ” Joe turned back around and ran for the blue hole.

Adam and I ran after him, screaming for him to stop. He refused. Joe came to a halt in front of the opening of the tunnel. Flashlight in hand, he once more peered into the darkness. I could feel my heart beating in my throat. I wanted to run home, but my feet were stuck to the ground. The hairs on the back of my neck began to stand straight up. It felt as if there was someone – or something behind me. Gathering as much courage as humanly possible, I slowly turned around to face what was standing behind me. Adam and Joe followed. A small, scaly creature stood before us, no bigger than three feet tall. The thing had the head of a snake, its mouth going almost all the way around it. It snarled at us, showing its teeth that were three inches in length and pointy at the end. The creature’s arms were pulled up to his torso. I felt a scream come up in my throat, but I could not muster it. Adam, Joe and I stood silently and stared. So did the creature. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Joe slowly picking up a rock. Before I could say no, he had thrown it at the monster. Within the blink of an eye the snake thing sprinted towards Joe, knocking him into the Blue Hole as it followed. I will never forget the screams I heard as Joe was killed by that creature in the hole. Knowing there was nothing we could do for Joe,  Adam and I bolted for my grandparent’s farm.

A few hours later, after explaining to my grandparent’s what had happened, my grandpa and a few townsfolk headed to the Blue Hole. I did not follow. I am not sure what they found or what they did. However, I do know that Joe or the snake thing were never found. The townsfolk had thrown large rocks and tree limbs into the Blue Hole, blocking as much of the opening as possible. Later on they would build a fence around it as well.

That was thirty something years ago, but I still dream about it. I dream I am back at the Blue Hole with Adam and Joe. Only this time it’s me who gets thrown into the deep darkness. My grandparent’s are deceased and they left the farm to me. I live in their home now, though much has changed over the years. The city has been building houses around the lake area for a month. I fear that they will try to bulldoze the fence that blocks that death trap along with the trees. I wonder what will happen if they interrupt the slumber of what has been living there for God knows how long. My bags are packed. I do not plan on finding out.

Would you have moved out?