Spooky Stories

Roanoke

An old beat-up truck was coming down a lonely foggy road in rural Pennsylvania. Driving down that lonely rode were two young newlyweds. "How much farther is it Isaac?", asked Kelsey Gibson. Isaac Gibson turned and smirked at his wife. "We'll get there when we get there", he said gently as if speaking to a child. Kelsey began to pout playfully and sat back in her seat with her arms closed. "I still can't believe I let you talk me into this", she sighed. "To think we could be on our way to a warm sandy beach somewhere." Isaac and Kelsey had been married for the past two weeks. Instead of going straight on their honeymoon, Isaac insisted on paying his family a visit since they couldn't attend the wedding. "After a quick visit I'll take you wherever you want to go", he promised. Kelsey was hesitant but she agreed. In the past two years of them being together she had never met his family or heard him talk about them a lot for that matter. "My family is a little...eccentric." "As long as they're not as messed up as my family, I don't care." With that the two were off, from Queen Creek Arizona to Roanoke Pennsylvania.

After three days on the road, stopping at nights for rest, Kelsey was tired. Unfortunately, where her husband was taking her didn't exist on any map or GPS. So really, it was any man's guess to where this place was. Kelsey had faith in Isaac, as this is where he had grown up. "Just a quick visit", she reminded herself. "Then it's off to Hawaii." As she was thinking happy thoughts of her honeymoon the engine of the truck began to sputter. "Isaac what's happening?", she asked. "I don't know we just stopped for gas a while back so that can't be the problem." After a few more sputters the car jerked to a halt. "Just great", Kelsey thought. "Car trouble on an abandoned foggy road, that's not creepy at all." "Stay here", said Isaac. "I'm going to check under the hood." "Hah! You check under the hood? Don't make me laugh!" "What's funny about that?" "The guy who can barely sweep, running diagnostics on a vehicle. I'd think we'd be better off calling a tow service." Just then a crow flew out of nowhere and landed on the hood of the car. Kelsey jumped with a yelp. The bird's black beady eyes seemed to be staring right at her. "Shoo!", she said with a wave of her hand. The black crow flew off into the fog. "Geeze relax babe, it's just a crow." "I know...it's just that this place gives me the creeps." As soon as she said that a shadowy figure came up out of the fog and rapped on her window. She screamed and clutched Isaac's arm. Isaac peered out her side and smiled. "It's okay Kelsey, he's my father."

Isaac got out of the car and embraced the man he had not seen in years. "Welcome home boy," he said with a smile. "She told us you'd be on your way." "She?", thought Kelsey. "And who is this?", he asked peering into the window. "This is my wife Kelsey, pop", Isaac indicated. Kelsey rolled down the window to shake her father-in-law's hand. "Nice to finally meet you Mr.-" Her sentence was cut off when she noticed the odd way he was dressed. With his boots, wool trousers, suspenders and white linen shirt he looked like something out of one of those pioneer books. "Who dresses like that anymore?", she thought. The Amish people was the first thing that popped into her head. "Nice to meet ya Kelsey", he said gripping her hand and shaking it. "My boy sure knows how to pick 'em don't he? Welcome to the family my dear." "Umm Mr. Gibson-" "Please, call me Pop." "Okay...pop, do you know anything about cars? We were on our way to come meet you but our car broke down." "That's a mighty shame Ms. Kelsey, shamed to tell ya I don't know much about this modern technology they have these days." "Modern technology?", thought Kelsey. "Don't you worry your pretty little head none, there is a town not a few miles from here. Tell ya what, why don't you and my son head on down to the village and I'll just push the truck on down to the town." "I'm sorry, village?" "Yeah, it's across the road and through the woods, ya can't miss it." "Don't you need some help with that pop?", asked Isaac. "I'm a hell o' lot stronger than I look boy. Ya think after all these years you'd remember that. Y'all just get to the village, rest o' the family is waitin' to meet ya."

A few minutes later Isaac and Kelsey were trudging along through the woods. Kelsey couldn't get it out of her head. The way her father-in-law spoke about cars, referring to them as "modern technology". The way he was dressed and the use of the word village. As if knowing what she was thinking Isaac began to explain. "My family lives a rustic existence. You know, like the Amish." So her suspicions had been correct. "Things like phones, cars, internet, doesn't exist for them." "How do they survive?", asked Kelsey partly joking. "They live off the land, farming, fishing, and hunting for what they need." Kelsey found it hard to believe that her husband, a guy who spent so much time on social media and Fortnite, could have grown up in a place like this. The golden rays of the sun began to worm their way through the cracks in the trees. "Looks like we're here", he said with a wave of his hand. Kelsey pushed her way through the brush to come to face with a beautiful sight. The fog from the road was gone, replaced with a blue sky and golden sun. Rolling hills of green seemed to stretch on for miles. Below was an old looking village with smoke rising from the chimneys of the houses. It was like a whole other world, blissfully frozen in time.