Haunted Isle
An autumn breeze blew over the small island of Halloway. The shops dressed themselves in spiderwebs, witches hats, skeletons and jack o’ lanterns which smiled at the passing tourists and locals. The trees shook themselves of some leaves while the rest glinted in the crisp autumn air with colors of burnt orange, yellows and reds. A group of kids sat in front of one of the local cafes that was off Main Street. Crafty Cafe, was small, but held a mighty expresso machine and large cups of specialty coffee. Inside crafts made by the locals and from classes taught there hung from the roof and stocked shelves. Next to them books stacked in the corners and filled any empty space that could be claimed. It was a relatively small place. The coffee bar stood in the back while a fire place raged to its right. Across the floor small tables with large felt backed chairs faced each other. Outside where the kids sat were some picnic tables surrounded by maples on either side.
A dice rolled across the table.
“Snake eyes” a boy with blonde hair hissed at the girl that had tossed the dice. “You know what that means”
The rest of the kids, which comprised of two brown haired girls and two other boys that were dressed straight out of the eighties, gasped and oo’ ed at the girl that had tossed the snake eyes.
She tapped her fingers against the table with a frown “Okay, tell me your stupid dare Tyler.”
There was silence among the group as they all turned to the Tyler. He leaned forward, they all leaned in.
“You know the story of the broken wagon?” he said with a glint in his eye.
“No, I don’t know the story of the broken wagon” she said. The kids turned to her.
“You have never heard of it? Not once?” One of the girls asked.
“Megans a bit new to the island, she might not of known. It’s her first Halloween here” One of the eighties boys spoke up.
“Well let me enlighten you” Tyler cleared his throat “Deep in the forest on the ancient roads from the colonial days there are bones of an old wagon. The right wheel missing and the rest now rotted and laid to decompose, like a dead body.”
Megan rolled her eyes.
“It is said that originally during the settlement of the island they built wagons to accompany them through out the island to make sure that they had supplies and could last out in the forest for days at a time while they settled. While most returned there was one wagon that did not. The story goes that the wheel broke while it was on its way back. The town sent out some people to find the wagon. When they did, they couldn’t believe what they had seen. Scattered among the path were all the belongings, claw marks the size of a mans body raked across the remaining wagon and ripped the cloth roof into pieces. There were no signs of the people belonging to the wagon.”
“Every time they tried to clean up and clear the wagon from its spot the men could hear screaming from the forest. The trees would start shaking and loud footsteps could be heard coming towards them. Each and every time. So the wagon remains. Haunted by the monster and victims. Never getting a proper burial and becoming a legend. The restless souls and the monster that roams the woods. Protecting its wagon.”
The boy slammed the table and screams erupted from a few of the kids. Even Megan gasped, breaking from a trance envisioning what had happened to the wagon.
“So the dare is to visit the wagon, after dark, on Halloween. When the souls are closet to the living realm” he made some spooky noises and wiggled his fingers in the air.
Megan stood up “That’s fine. I’m not afraid of any legend. Tomorrow night I will show you that there are no ghost or monsters in the forest. Also “ she narrowed her eyes at him “your coming with me”
“Me? “ he chirped “you rolled the dice, your the one to go” he waved his hands at her.
“Have you gone your self? Your an island native after all”
The kids turned to him with suspicious eyes.
“I have been to the wagon, but not at night” he answered quietly avoiding their gaze.
“I thought you had been every where on the island at night? That’s what you told us” one kid asked.
“Well ya, I’ve been everywhere at night” he rubbed his chin “except the wagon”
“Who thinks Tyler should go to the wagon with me tomorrow night Halloween? Say I”
The kids all pronounced ‘I’ in unison.
“Then it is settled. Your coming with me”
A harvest moon rose high into the sky. With its orangish tint it revealed the darkness with a soft glow that made the eyes wonder what it was seeing. Was the darkness moving or was it sitting dormant as it usually would. Did the monsters have better vision during the soft glow of the moon light.
Tyler zipped his coat up while standing next to a street lamp near the north side of town. He could look down past the small houses and Main Street to the ocean that rolled in the moonlight.
“Boo” Megan jumped from the shadows and onto the street. Tyler gave a small jump, but kept his cool.
“Ready go or not? Ive been waiting here for over ten minutes. I thought you were chickening out”
“Sure, you lead the way fearless leader” she said giving him a salute.
The trees narrowed and created a tunnel that enveloped them in darkness with only the exit providing a guide for them. Animals and creatures of the night sounded from their homes inside the forest. The night was truly alive. Megan held Tyler close as they slowly made their way to the end of the tree tunnel and into a large meadow. The road took a couple of bends and crossed a small stream then moved up a hill. Megan stopped at the bottom and looked up. Shining through the moonlight was the broken remains of the wagon. She could see the steel ribs and the wooden cabin resting as great shadow.
“Almost there” Tyler trudged on ahead.
“Yeah Finally” Megan took a full breath of air and ran to meet him.
At the highest part of the hill sat a forest on the left side and the remains of the wagon on the right. The road moved to the top then made round to the left going beyond the forest. Megan stuffed her hands in her pockets as they approached the wagon. It didn’t look like much in the moon light. The steel from the roof cage still remained a bit and the cabin had been rotted out and was being assimilated into the ground.
“This is it?” Megan turned to Tyler, who yawned
“Yeah, that’s it. I mean it would be much scarier alone, which was the whole point”
“You’ve never been here alone” Megan shot back at him.
He gave her a sidelined look and stared at the wreckage. “Do you believe it?” he whispered.
“What? that a monster ripped apart some settlers? Of course not” she scoffed “why? do you?”
Tyler turned his back on the wagon and leaned against it facing the forest. The moon now at its peak illuminated a few feet into it. He looked deep into the darkness beyond. The island was not all fun and games.
Trees shook and leaves rustled as something moved about. Tyler breathed out emitting a cloud of steam. His eyes met other eyes deep within the trees. They caught the moon light in a flash and in that moment a reflection of himself acknowledged the fear.
“Hello?” Megan waved a hand in front of him. He broke out his trance, but the sounds were coming closer. Wailing, soft at first then rose up to a scream. One voice, two voice, then a whole choir of voices screamed at them from the forest. “what is that? Is this a prank you are pulling on me?” Megan now turned to the forest.
From the abyss beyond their vision a man dressed in black slacks, white shirt and suspenders stepped out into the road. A wide brimmed hat shielded his face from them. He stood in silence then tilted his head up towards the moon. His face was gaunt, with a long nose and sunken eyes which were closed. His chin came to a sharp point and he stood as still as a statue, not even breathe escaped.
Megan moved back and jumped as her back pressed against the wagon. Tyler grabbed her hand.
“Run”
She yelped as he drug her down the hill. She glanced up at the man. His head snapped in their direction with an audible crack, yellow glowing eyes burst open from the valleys they hid in. His hands, now long fingered scalpels extended down just above the ground. A smile of sharp teeth snapped open and the screams began to ring out over the meadow.
She screamed and met the pace of Tyler.
“Who is that?” she yelled at him.
“The monster you dummy, just shut up and run”
Tyler and Megan shot, jumped, sprinted with their whole spirits back towards town. Their breathless cries drowning out the night animals and adding to the wails that came from the man that chased them. Each time his clogged foot hit the ground they could feel him getting closer and closer. The screams piecing right to their bones almost to the point of bringing them to their knees, but nature had built in adrenaline for a reason. To survive. They exited the tunnel of trees and almost rolled down the hill to the towns back gate. As they passed into the cobble street where kids jumped and hollered for candy with parents gleefully taking part in the festivities the screams stopped. Tyler collapsed on a patch of grass that was next to the Crafty Cafe. He spun backing up into the wall and peered back towards the gate. Megan braced her self against the wall catching any breathe she could.
The man did not pass the gate, but Tyler could see his eyes out beyond. Peering as they did before.
“Whoa, look at you two, coming down that hill like a bat out of hell, see some spooky things out there?” Megan turned to see Mr.Nika, the owner of Crafty Cafe, leaning down at them. Tyler put his arm up still shaking and pointed out towards the eyes. Mr.Nika slowly turned to look.
He stood for a moment then smiled “You kids weren’t at the wagon were you?” he said then walked towards the gate.
Both kids yelled at him to back off, but Mr.Nika stopped right before the threshold and gave a wave out to the forest.
Megan and Tyler regained a bit of themselves, but shock and terror still permeated from them as Mr.Nika returned to them and shuffled them into Crafty Cafe. He guided them to two large chairs next to the roaring fire, told them to stay, left and returned with two cups of hot cider which he set down on the table for them.
He sat on the stone mantle of the fire place closer to Megan.
“Well well. You kids have both seen something tonight that I am sure isn’t going to leave you any time soon. This might be a long night, did you want some candy? No? That’s okay, I am sure the other kids will share tomorrow.” Mr.Nika took a sip of his own drink “Well let me say. Happy Halloween” He gave a big smile and laugh then hushed himself leaning towards them “Lucky are we. A special few that see them in the night. The monsters.”
They sat wide eyed, not knowing what they had just entered. What realm they stepped in.
Mr.Nika pulled out a book and set it on the table between them and said.
“Welcome to the Autumn People”
Happy Halloween!
What special day. The spookiest day of the year. Revel in its magic. Tonight story was inspired by Mackinac Island. Eve and I go their every year during October so I thought an island setting would be cool. The Autumn People comes from (at least where this is inspired from) the book Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury. One of, if not, my favorite stories. I was listening to it while carving a pumpkin yesterday and there is section where they talk about the Autumn People. I was trying to figure out what to call this group that could see and interacted with monsters and then the Autumn people came to me. Perfect! I will use that. I wanted the story to end on a more hopeful, non scary note since the main characters are kids and it starts off more light hearted.
Well thats it for tonight. Enjoy the Halloween spirit. Get lots of candy and keep those Jack O’ Lanterns lit tonight.
Happy Hauntings.
Cheers!
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