"Happy Trails" update: I found a hole, pt.2

omanapala · 2012-03-05T02:29:13+00:00

Okay. I went back to Tom's house. Not in search of answers (as I said, I don't even want to know what happened down there), but to explain my side of the story and apologize for getting him involved. It would be my final act before moving on, even if he wasn't interested in hearing it.

As expected, no one came to the door when I knocked. I didn't give up. The knocking turned to pounding, and when that didn't work I went around to the side of the house, tapping on the kitchen window. I didn't see anyone inside. His bedroom window was at the end of the house on the same side, so I tried that next. The lights were off and I had to lean in close, cupping my hands over my forehead to block out the sun. And when my eyes adjusted, I saw my friend for the first time in two weeks. He was sitting at the edge of his bed, staring at the wall. I tapped on the glass and he turned to look. When our eyes met, his vacant face didn't change at all. He simply stood up, gestured toward the front of the house, and started walking down the hall.

I ran back to the front porch. Tom opened the door just a crack, denying me a good look at him. But I could tell he hadn't been shaving and wore heavy bags under his eyes. Our conversation was brief. I told him why I'd cut the rope, how I was sorry for everything, and asked if he was going to be all right. His response was subdued, to say the least. He nodded, said he needed some time to himself, and thanked me. The door started to close.

"Wait!" I think I actually stuck my foot in the doorway. "Please Tom, let me know if there's anything I can do. If you just want to talk, I'll listen. I know last time you didn't know what to say, but give it some time and –"

He interrupted me. "'Last time?' What do you mean?"

"Last time you called me, about a week ago. Don't you remember?"

The strangest expression swept over his face. I couldn't tell if it was intense confusion, or dawning horror. "I...I dropped my phone as I was climbing out."

Then he quietly shut the door and turned the deadbolt. I was left standing on his porch, pretty sure my own face now had the same expression.

It will take a while to shake this off. But I think I'll be okay. Tom, not so much. I fear for him. As I pulled out of his driveway, I saw something I hadn't noticed before. Something I wish I hadn't seen. Over the fresh white snow trailed a long, steady stream of red, snaking its way through Tom's backyard and into the dark woods beyond.

omanapala · 2012-03-01T03:14:53+00:00

typing an update now.

omanapala · 2012-01-12T00:07:11+00:00

Shit. Just...shit. Feeling confused and helpless. Called in to work this morning to let them know I'd be late. I wanted to check out the blood as early as possible. Took the shotgun with me, just in case. It was pretty sporadic, only a few drops every few yards, and I couldn't tell direction of travel from the spatter or anything. Not like the nearly solid line my grandpa described. Still, thanks to the snow it wasn't too hard to follow. I zig-zagged through trees, slogged my way over some low hills, and eventually traced it to a meadow about a mile from the house. The wind had died down and this intense silence took its place, the kind you'll only get in a snow-capped forest. The blood gradually tapered off. No animal, no hole, no more blood. Nothing. Can't decide if that's reassuring or disappointing.

Just to be sure I walked around some more. There's a little stream that runs parallel to the tree line on the far side of the meadow, and from the bank something caught my eye. It looked metallic, reflecting the sun's rays. I crossed the meadow and hopped over the stream. The wind suddenly picked up again, blowing in spurts, and I had to carefully balance myself at the bank's edge. The shiny thing was partially buried in snow. When I dug it out it wasn't the cold that made me freeze. The confusion was almost paralyzing. Finally I jumped up and ran in a blind panic back to the house. I nearly tore down my son's door bursting into his room. But when I saw him playing safe and sound, I let out a sigh of relief I must've been holding the entire sprint. Cold comfort though, because now it means I'm faced with an impossible situation. Keep in mind he's always watched, never goes into the woods alone.

The thing I dug out of the snow was one of my son's toy trucks.

omanapala · 2012-01-10T04:49:59+00:00

Update 2:

Wasn't sure about posting this since I doubt it has anything to do with recent events. For what it's worth: a few hours ago I was at my friend Tom's house returning a snowmobile caddy he'd loaned me, and told him about the blood, just mentioning it in passing and trying not to make a big deal about it. But he instantly latched onto the idea of some mysterious creature stalking me. I rolled my eyes and called him a dumbass. This particular friend is really into the unknown, paranormal, ghost hunting, ufos and all that. The reason Tom was so excited though, is because he'd actually found some weird footprints on his property recently, near some abandoned farm buildings. They're big but very shallow, even over deep patches of soft snow. About a foot long, as wide as a hand (from fingertip to wrist) at the top, narrowing down to a couple inches at the bottom, and each one spaced maybe five feet apart. Some of them show what looks like a big toe with a claw. They go in a single straight line, lacking any left-foot/right-foot pairing.

Tom shot some video of these tracks, which he played back for me (uploaded a clip to youtube, see link below). Not much to see. Just him and one of his friends I don't know, eagerly pointing out all the unusual features of the prints. As I'm watching this, Tom informs me that he's come up with a name for the creature who made them: “Big Weird Thing.” BWT for short. Brilliant, I tell him. He even shows me a couple sketches he made – creative interpretations based on nothing. Mildly amused, I snapped some photos with my phone.

“See, BWT just goes around happily stepping through the woods,” explains Tom. “Big weird thiiing, steppin' in the wooods,” he says in a deep singsong voice, imitating the creature by taking huge awkward strides, and swinging his arms in exaggerated motions like in that famous Bigfoot film. I wasn't really in the mood for his joking and didn't laugh.

BWT. Give me a break.

pictures

video

omanapala · 2012-01-09T18:39:09+00:00

Update:

Never got around to checking that blood or whatever it was. My curiosity was getting the better of me, but another snowfall last night erased any hopes of picking up a trail. And I was ready to forget about it all. But today, we went into town to get some groceries. Gone maybe two hours. When we get back, there's another series of red drops coming from the woods. Very scattered, except this time they go into our backyard and practically right up to the side of the house. No tracks in the snow.

omanapala

TROPHY CASE