Read part one here So I thought I’d take some time to go over some of the Abenaki legends in the area. I mentioned some stuff about the Tall Men and Skadegamutc in the last part but this whole place is rife with some truly weird legends. This place is […]
I Took A Job In Northwest Vermont: Entry One: Wendigo Psychosis Read More »
No one ever talks about the sounds. They talk about the body.They talk about the wire.They talk about the eyes.But no one talks about the sounds.Because if they did… they’d understand it wasn’t just a killing.It was a sermon. Before the cornfield…Before the crows learned his name…There was a man
The Last Sermon of Malachi Read More »
On one dark, foggy morning a news station began the daily evening broadcast to Sevier County, a low-population area in the middle of nowhere. It began with a poppy intro song, canned footage of various county locales, and fast-forwarded time lapses of the weather. When the intro wrapped up, the
Schalach cast the seed in smooth arcs across the lightly tilled fields as he walked at a steady, measured pace. At every fifth step, he dipped the smooth, well-worn cup into the pouch slung across his shoulder. This was his family’s job for the village, and he was the only
Have you ever been driving down a familiar road and notice a landmark that stands out to you? In the city you know where you are by the intersection or by your favorite stores and coffee shops. However things are a little different on country roads. When driving down an
Below the peaks of the Catskill Mountains you will occasionally find an ancient and gnarled apple tree. Such a tree is a reliable landmark; signaling that an early American farmhouse sits, or once sat, nearby. Sometimes only a single shoot of the old tree remains, yet the ancient life persists
Driving. I always found driving peaceful. There’s something almost serene about just cruising along at a steady pace down a long strip of road. Coincidentally that’s exactly what I was doing on this cool September night. A little road trip I’ve been planning for awhile set me straight in the
The head of yet another six-inch nail is forced crudely into the hard flesh of what feels like the millionth wooden plank, its end contorted by the panicked blow it had been dealt by my shaking hands. There must have been about forty or fifty wooden boards covering every possible
It Had My Mother’s Voice Read More »
Moving day. A chance to start fresh in a new place. New opportunities, new community, new home. Home. Not just a house. To Eric Sherman, this was a place he could finally call home. No ex-wives to hound him for alimony. No disapproving parents to question his absence of faith
Driving down the road far from home, on my way back from work – I’m surrounded by pastures and rural country houses. Late in the night, dark but backlit by a pale moon I drive fast, but not too fast. I’m tired. The day’s work has pushed me over the
I was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder when I was five. I have always struggled to interact with people because of this disorder, spending large amounts of time attempting to fix imperfections around me. I would lash out harshly at people around me if they touched me or my things, and
There’s always something inherently eerie about living in the forest, in complete isolation. You almost always assume the worst when you’re on your own surrounded by the thickly wooded area, it’s almost like time doesn’t pass the same as it would anywhere else, like the edge of the woods was
Before I take my life tonight, I need to write down what brought me to this point. Just for my own sanity, just as a catharsis. If I’m feeling brave I’ll post it on the Internet when I’m done. And if I do – if I’m actually talking to some
The Animals On My Farm Always Kill Their Newborns Read More »
After Momma got sick, Daddy didn’t act the same. He’d go off into their room and not come out for days. I was just thirteen at that time, but Daddy said I was big and needed to take care of things. I liked feelin’ responsible. Back then, it was just
The moment I had signed the sales contract for the old farmhouse I’d been happier than I was in years. You see, in life, I did everything right. I headed the advice of my teachers and parents. After I’d finished school, I went on to university and got my degree
My friend and I have always known not to go into the woods around my house at night. I live in a really, really rural area. Like, the nearest house is about a mile away kind of rural. I love it; I grew up in suburban areas, so living somewhere so far
I first knew something was wrong when John didn’t return before the first snow. I woke up and looked out the dull, pitted glass window to see white clinging to tree limbs and dusting the barn roof. The image of him smiling as he slung his rifle across his back
Sunset had fallen on the countryside, and the warmth of the day was fading with each passing moment. Vespers of an autumn breeze whispered through the fields, setting the amber stalks of corn into a somber dance… yet with each swaying step, two interlopers were revealed, standing stark and defiant
