Man in the woods short story

THE MAN IN THE WOODS

The small town of Pembroke was a sleepy little hollow in the southern state of Virginia, population no more than 25ooo people. Surrounded by woods on three sides and old mine workings to the west of the town, it was one of those out of way places that you only see in those mystery or horror movies. A boom town in its day, full of Business on Main Street doing well and everyone was trying to make a buck. That all changed with the crash of 2008 its wooden shacks and shingled roofs fell into disrepair, the dwellings of most poor folks since the mines shut down and work became scarce, people had to scrape a living best they could. 

The few businesses that remained on main street where few and limited but they kept the heart of the town alive, barely scraping by themselves, but if folk needed food and couldn’t afford it Mr. Laker the General store owner let folks get what they needed on the tab. He was just that kind of a guy like most folks of Pembroke, They didn’t have much but… what they did have they would give you in a heartbeat from the rolling wooded hills to the bottom of their pockets.

The population used to be 150,000 but most people moved away and only the die-hards or those folks too poor to move stayed behind, These folks where the towns lifeline.

It’s here were three friends where born and grew together, Josie from a decent part of town was feisty , pretty and full of zest for life although a little rough around the edges she could be considered tom boyish but, she had a knack of winding Willie up to frustration and beyond.
Willie was from Mid-town and although he had been rather plump most of his life, he had a hard time keeping his weight under control but he sure loved his food.

Lincoln was the nerdy type kid thin as a rake but always polite and secretly he had a crush on Josie but was too scared to tell her how he felt, but in all…all three had been close friends since they were introduced to each other by their moms at the age of three. 

Every summer holiday they would be inseparable and if you saw Josie you would find Willie and Lincoln somewhere nearby.

One July Saturday morning school term had ended and the trio now thirteen began their usual summer jaunts of exploration into the woods and old mine workings in the hills. The sun was hot and the air was humid, 98 in the shade as Josie, Willi and Lincoln walked down the dusty old trail through the woods to the sound of the crickets in the tall grass by the old No5 shaft now overgrown and partially covered by undergrowth. 

“Let’s go down No5!” Willie suggested.

They had gone down number 5 shaft on numerous occasions and although it was a vertical shaft they knew how to traverse it carefully. 

”Nah!” Josie said disapprovingly. “We nearly fell last time and those boards aren’t the safest anymore.”

“Chicken!” Willie taunted. 

“Not so!” Josie responded with a grunt. 

”Oh come on.” Lincoln said and began to make his way through the tall undergrowth around the shaft entrance. 

They stepped through the tall grass expecting to see a hole in the ground partially covered with corrugated Iron sheet and some planks of wood but found themselves looking at new planks of wood covering the shaft entrance entirely.

“Someone’s been up here?” Lincoln said. 

“Must have been put here during the winter, look those boards aren’t new.” Willie pointed at the browning discolored ply boards. 

“Careful guys!” Josie was alarmed as they stepped onto the boards and felt them creak and bow under them. 

“It’s OK… Josie look“ Willie began to jump up and down. 

“STOP!” Josie screamed at Willie as Lincoln and Willie started laughing. 

“Willie all three of us are on here, it’ll collapse!” Josie said alarmed. 

Lincoln stopped laughing and Willie continued to jump, suddenly there was a loud crack and all three of them fell through the boards into the darkness below.

It seemed like they were falling forever when they hit the bottom with a thud. 

”Ouch!” Willie cried out in pain with Lincoln and Josie nearby winded. All three of them looked at each other once their eyes had adjusted to the darkness and then started laughing out loud as they looked at the daylight coming through the hole above them. 

“Everyone... OK?” Lincoln asked out of concern and pain. 

“Yeah!” Josie said 

“In… pain!” Willie responded. 

“Darn right you idiot!” Josie scorned. “How do we get out of here?” She continued giving Willie the eye of disgust. 

“We climb out.” Lincoln pulled out his little flash light on his key ring and pointed to the old rusty ladder leading up to the top of the shaft. 

“There…see! Must be a good …..Hundred feet or more.” Willie estimated. 

“Well this aint gonna get us out of here, sitting here covered in splinters!” Josie scoffed. 

“Let’s go, best go one at a time since it’s a rusty ladder?” Lincoln cautioned.

Lincoln went first and one rung at a time he climbed the ladder, as he did he could feel the cold iron rungs under his feet and hands with the rust coming away as he ascended the ladder flaking off and slowly floating down the shaft. 

“Close your eyes guys there’s rust flakes coming down! “Lincoln warned as his voice echoed around the shaft.

He reached the top and grabbing a hold of an old rusty chain still moored into a block of concrete at the edge of the shaft Lincoln heaved and pulled himself out of the hole. 

”OK…. NEXT!” He shouted down into the darkness below. He could feel the vibration on the ladder as one of them stepped on to the ladder and began to ascend. Straining his eyes at the darkness below to see which one was climbing he looked for tell-tale signs, coming out of the gloom and darkness below. Suddenly he saw the long hair belonging to Josie and then he saw her smile and dirty face looking back at him as she passed from blackness into the daylight. 

”Hi Josie keep climbing, I’ll help you up!” Josie beamed as she looked at Lincoln and began to giggle when she saw how dirty he was.

“Linc! You look like you been down a mine?” Josie began to laugh out loud. 

”Hahaha, You too Josie!” Lincoln replied. 

As Josie got to the top Lincoln reached down and took her hand pulling her over the rim of the shaft. 

”OK WILLIE….YOUR TURN!” Lincoln shouted down the shaft with an echo. 

Willie began to climb and the ladder shook under the strain of his weight. 

”I hope this ladder can take his weight.” Josie said with a whisper to Lincoln. 

”I heard that!” Willie shouted up the shaft. 

”Oop’s!” Josie said with a snigger and Lincoln just rolled his eyes with a grin on his face. Once Willie was out of the mine shaft all three of them sat there for a while and took in the sunshine and listened to the birds and crickets.

“That was a close call guys?” Willie said. 

“Sure was.” Josie said looking at Lincoln and Willie then she broke out laughing uncontrollably.

“What you laughing at Josie?” Willie asked and all Josie could do was point to their faces. 

“Your blacker than night.” 

Lincoln and Willie saw the funny side. 

”You too Josie, let’s get to the creek and clean ourselves?” Willie suggested, with that all three of them got up and set off towards the creek Shoe less in shorts and T-shirts, dirty and grimy from a long day exploring the ruins of the once proud industry they gingerly made their way down the steep wooded hillside towards the creek at the bottom with every intention of washing themselves clean best they could. 

“Ouch! Fuck man!” Willie cussed. 

“What’s up?” Josie inquired in a condescending tone. “Step on a toad Willie!” Josie knew she could get a reaction from Willie easily. 

“Bitch!” Willie muttered under his breath not realizing Josie was close enough to hear him but she just smirked to herself knowing she got to Willie …again.

“Sup Will?” Lincoln asked with concern as Willie leant against a balder standing on one foot and rubbing the other. 

”I stepped on a thorn back there…it hurt and Josie thinks it’s funny!” Josie looked at Willie, She could see him trying to hold back the tears from the pain, she felt guilty after all they were really good friends. 

“I’m sorry Willie I didn’t know you had hurt yourself that bad”! Josie said.

“It’s OK Jo; I shouldn’t have cussed at you”! Willie felt rotten to the core for what he called her. 

”OK your both sorry, now let’s have a look at your foot, is it bleeding”? Lincoln asked looking closely at Willie’s foot. 

“Nah… it will be alright, it was just the pain that was worse”! Willie said.

“Can you walk Willie”? Josie asked. 

”Yeah, it’s not bad really, there’s no bleeding!” Willie put his foot down and tried to walk and at first there was a stinging pain but it eased the more he put his weight on his foot. 

“Let’s get down to the creek, I can wash it there!” Willie said with a half-smile. Slowly all three friends made their way down the steep hillside grabbing branches of tree’s and using rocks and boulders to break their fall.

It took them a good 15 minutes to traverse the heavy vegetation and rocks to get to the creek, finally Josie stopped. 

“Listen!” All three of them stopped to listen. “The creeks over that way follow that sound Lincoln!” 

Lincoln began to make his way in the direction of the sound of gentle running water over rocks as Willie and Josie followed close behind. Lincoln pushed aside some high grown nettles with a stick he found and revealed the slow shallow running water of the creek. 

“Found it guys!” Lincoln stepped forward onto a rock of a reasonable size in front of him but as he put his weight on the rock he lost his footing and slid onto his butt right into the nettle bush he had pushed to one side.

” Owww, Oh shit!” Lincoln quickly jumped to his feet now knee deep in the water and rubbing his behind like a mad man to try to get the nettle stings out of his butt cheeks. 

“Hahahahah, I hear that doc leaves are good for nettle stings Linc!” Josie said with a very amused look on her face. 

“Oh yeah  ...well are you gonna rub them on my ass Josie?” Lincoln said abruptly.

Josie turned bright red as she looked away with a smirk on her face. 

”Yeah Josie, you gonna rub his ass for him Hahahahah?” Willie Laughed. 

“In your dreams Willie and besides I hear that Maryann would love you to kiss her ass!” Willie went quiet from embarrassment, Maryann had been chasing Willie since 2^nd grade and she was the local dumbbell in school not very bright, dirty curly red hair with freckles and braces on her teeth.

“Ewww, you still got Maryann chasing your tail Willie?” Lincoln scoffed trying not to laugh. 

“So Josie says Linc!” Willie gave Josie a mean look. 

“I’m just saying what Maryann said is all!” Josie said. 

“No she aint and I wouldn’t go near her if I was infested with lice!” Willie stomped off into the water of the creek to soak his sore foot. Lincoln and Josie looked at each other and gave a silent giggle to one and other, and then Lincoln mimed to Josie. 

“You’re terrible!” Josie just smiled back and shrugged her shoulders.

All three friends sat on a flat rock with their feet in the cool water talking when all of a sudden they could hear the sound of a beautiful ballad being sang by a man over the other side of the creek, somewhere beyond the brush and undergrowth. They all strained their necks trying to see if they could see where the sound was coming from. 

“Come on!” Willie said “Someone’s over there!” Willie commenced to cross the creek to the other side. 

”I don’t know Will, could be anyone!” Josie said airing on the side of caution.

“Be alright Jo, come on!” Lincoln took Josie by the hand and all three crossed the creek together, they pushed their way through the reeds and undergrowth on the opposite side and began to climb the far bank in the direction of the sound. They came up to the crest of the bank and peered over it, on the other side in a clearing they saw a colored man of about 50 years of age with a graying beard and brown floppy cowboy hat and a dirty gray jacket and beige pants singing a gospel whilst he was cooking a rabbit over a fire on a stick. Willie was on the move as soon as he got a whiff of the rabbit 

“Come on guys I smell a meal!” Willie made his way forward. 

”Oh shiit!” Lincoln muttered “Come on Jo let’s go with him?”….. 

“Let’s not ….oh alright!” Josie and Lincoln followed Willie towards the old man.

“You OK Mister?” Willie asked looking the stranger in the face, His jacket dirty, his hair was matted and filthy and his clothes were rags. 

“Don’t get too close Willie, he might bite you!” Lincoln said 

“And you might get rabies!” Josie scoffed with a chuckle.

” Josie!” Lincoln said “Have a bit of a heart!” Josie rolled her eyes. 

“Sorry!” Josie felt bad inside now.

“You OK Mister?” Willie asked again. 

“He’s a bum!” Josie said 

“Josie he’s a human being!” Willie scorned.

“Missy! With an attitude like that …you aint gonna do anything with your life other than become a bad tempered young lady with no respect and no Jesus to help you!” The man said. 

“Well excuse me Mister; sure, as hell don’t look like you’re the one to talk about life choices!” Josie spat back in response. 

“I choose to live like this Missy; this here is god’s plan and I enjoy the freedom of the outdoors and the smell of Mother Nature when I wake up in a morning with the birds singing and the breeze a blowing.... aint nothing like it!”

“You OK Mister?” Willie asked a third time. 

”Dang kid, why do you keep asking me that, God take care of me as he take care of you.” 

Lincoln looked at the man. ”Sure looked like gods on your side mister!” He said. 

“Pass me that sack there kid!” The man said to Willie, Willie reached over to his left and stretched his arm out picking up a small sack and handing it to the stranger with a grimace on his face wondering if he was about to catch lice or worse. The man took the sack from Willie and began to open it.

” What if there’s a head in that sack? “Josie whispered in to Lincoln’s ear. 

Lincoln froze for a moment then thought “Nah!”

The man took out a very old looking clay pipe and some tobacco and began to fill the pipe; He rubbed some tobacco between his index finger and thumb and pressed it firmly into the pipe. Removing a match from his jacket pocket he struck the match and as it flamed he lit the pipe and sucked in the smoke and exhaled until there was a thick mist of tobacco smoke around him. He blew out the match and put the tobacco in his pocket then he put the pipe back into his mouth holding it with his teeth. 

”You got good teeth for a bum?” Josie said but instead of getting mad at her the stranger began to laugh. 

“You’re growing on me little sister; feisty but you say what you think and that aint wrong!”

“So who are you Mister?” Lincoln asked timidly 

“Speak up kid, folks aint gonna hear you if you don’t learn to speak up son!” 

Lincoln took a gulp of air and with a parched throat spoke louder.” Err I was saying WHO are you Mister?”

“Hahahahah that’s better, see kid you gotta speak up!” The stranger took a coughing fit cleared his throat and commenced to tell them who he is and what he does in life.

“My name is Mr. Randolph Albert Jones and I’m a miner by trade, I didn’t do too much schooling when I was a kid, didn’t have much time for that book learning, I went down the mine at 10 years of age when my Pa crushed his leg in an accident and could only do light work on the surface. So I became a miner…. then one day I came out of the mine and found myself taking a real good look at mother nature and have been roaming these woods ever since!”

“I’m Willie... that’s Lincoln and she’s Josie, we like to roam the woods and the old mine workings during the holidays, guess it’s in the blood hey Mister!” 

Randolph looked at all three kids and studied them closely “You kids need to be careful around here, it’s not safe around the mine workings …it can be dangerous. You kids, you be careful now?” 

Josie looked at Lincoln then all three of them said “Yes Sir Mr. Jones!” 

Randolph looked all three of them up and down one last time.

“Now git, go on you crazy kids!” 

Willies mouth was watering at the sight of the rabbit on the stick. Old man Jones saw the look on Willies face and inwardly began to chuckle. ”You… hungry son?” He said to Willie, Willie just nodded. “Here take a leg!” 

Old man Jones broke off a rabbit leg and handed it to Willie. 

“Thanks!” Willie said. 

“You two want any?” Old man Jones asked Josie and Lincoln. 

“No thanks, not hungry!” They said and with that all three of them got up and made their way up the steep embankment through the tree’s to the tree line, Willie hungrily biting at the rabbit leg. When they got to the top they looked back and saw no sign of Randolph. 

“Must have skedaddled!” Josie said and shrugged her shoulders. “Come on guys it’s getting late!” 

All three of them made their way down the steep embankment pushing aside thorn bushes and ferns until they reached the gravel dirt road. They followed the dirt road as it wound around turns and over an old wooden bridge that crossed the creek at a deeper and wider point. They stopped on the bridge and looked over the rail to see trout beneath the bridge in the shade swimming slowly from one bank to the other.

“Looks like the fish are too hot too guys, be easy pickins if we had a net.” Willie said. 

“You’re always thinking of your stomach Willie!” Josie said with a giggle. 

“Am not!” Willie felt wounded by the remark. 

“Is too, and you don’t need no more food in that belly of yours!” Josie knew she had hit a raw nerve when Willie went quiet and that made her feel bad inside. “Sorry Willie didn’t mean to upset you.” She said with a flirty smile. Willie just looked at her assessing if she was being genuine or not. 

“It’s OK Josie I’ve heard worse.” 

Lincoln just shook his head “It’s getting late guys!” Lincoln said pointing to the sun, a red glow low in the sky making their shadows become elongated. 

“Best get back before it gets dark, don’t wanna stay out here all night.” Josie said. 

“Me neither.” Willie agreed. Lincoln led the way. “This way guys …I think!” All three began to make their way in to the trees along an old trail.

“Linc... You sure you know where we’re going?” Josie asked as they continued to walk down the dusty old trail in the twilight as the branches of trees brushed against them as they tried to navigate over the tree roots poking out of the ground and dense undergrowth. 

“We’ll be alright guys!” Lincoln told them even though he had lost his way he didn’t want to look dumb, if he could just find a way to a trail or open space he knew. So Lincoln carried on knowing deep down they were hopelessly lost. 

“You don’t have a clue where we are, do ya Linc?” Willie said with anger in his tone. 

“I can barely see the trail, are we lost?” Josie sounded worried. “My Ma’s gonna go scat brained and Da won’t be happy either!” Josie said as she sniffled trying to hold back tears. 

”Hey Jo! We’ll be OK, trust me?” Lincoln tried to reassure her.

It was pitch black and a moonless night overcast with storm clouds and the air became chilled.

” Up ahead you see it Willie?” Lincoln cried out. 

Through the tree line they could see the glow of a yellow flame in the distance. 

“Is that what I think it is?” Josie said with excitement.

” Yeah!” Lincoln confirmed. “It’s a camp fire.” 

They made their way through the branches getting snagged a couple of times as they tried to walk in a straight line towards the warmth of the camp fire. Eventually they broke out of the trees in to a clearing and there at the far edge under a large oak tree was a man with a small shelter that consisted of canvas, wood and corrugated iron sheets. He had a fire blazing away and a couple of chickens on a homemade spit with a small pot of stew on the open fire boiling away. 

“Come on in you kids, get yourselves warm. Chicken won’t be long. ”The voice was deep and sounded familiar to them. As he turned around all three of them were shocked to see Old man Jones and his familiar smile. It was then that they realized they had walked in a full circle. 

“Mr. Jones, thank god we found you!” Willie said. 

“We got lost and couldn’t find our way out of here!” Josie jumped over a fallen tree. 

“We weren’t lost!” Lincoln tried to defend himself. 

”Oh No, you think Linc? “Josie corrected him. 

Old man Jones just sat there and listened to all three of them arguing as to whose fault it was and after a little back and forth he decided to step in. 

”Who’s hungry?” This stopped the arguing as all three of them froze and looked at Old man Jones, almost as if they didn’t understand the question. “Who’s hungry?” Old man Jones repeated. “Take a seat on that there log!” He said with his bright smile in the fire light.

Willie wasted no time sitting down, he was hungry and the sound and smell of food on offer was all he needed. 

“Take it easy Willie?” Josie giggled. 

Then Josie and Lincoln sat next to Willie on the log warming themselves from the heat of the open fire. Old man Jones pulled out a pocket knife and unfolded a sharp blade then he took one of the Chickens off the spit and carefully cut a piece off the breast for Josie and handed it to her. Josie reached her hands out and took the Chicken. 

“Careful now Missy, it’s hotter than coals!” He said with a chuckle. ”OK boys….Breast, leg or wing?” He could see Willie drooling like a rabid dog. 

‘Leg please!” Lincoln said. 

“Me too!” Willie chimed in quickly.

Old man Jones tore them both a leg off and handed it to them, Willie began to wolf it down as if it was his last meal. 

”Hahaha, My lord you sure are hungry boy!” Old man Jones said. “So how come you kids came back here?” He looked at their tired faces in the glow of the fire light.

“It was Linc’s fault, he got us lost!” Willie answered “Anymore chicken please?” Willie asked. 

“Sure!” Old man Jones said and handed him a piece of chicken breast. 

”Ma and Da are gonna be freakin out if I don’t get home anytime soon!” Josie told them. 

”Me too!” Lincoln agreed. ”I can’t believe we got lost in these darn woods, we come here every summer since we was eight years old.” Willie said. 

“Maybe you’re not lost?” Old man Jones said. 

“How do you mean?” Lincoln asked. 

“Well …maybe you kids are right where you belong!” Old man Jones suggested. 

“What! That don’t make any sense?” Willie said with a confused look on his face. 

“Think about it?” Old man Jones said. “What things do you kids remember from today?” He looked serious as he asked them.

“Well we kind of had a busy day exploring the woods and the old mine workings.” Lincoln said.

“And the creek bridge with the fish!” Willie recalled. 

”Oh and we met Mr. Jones this morning and you took the rabbit leg Willie!” Josie said. 

“Anything you forgot kids?” Old man Jones side. 

”I don’t recall!” Lincoln said. 

“Me neither!” Josie and Willie said together.

Old man Jones just ran his fingers through his beard and massaged his chin. ”I know you forgot something but I can’t tell you what it is, you’ve got to remember or I can’t help ya!” 

Willie, Lincoln and Josie just looked at each other with a confused look. 

“What do ya mean ya can’t help us Mr. Jones?” Josie asked. 

Old man Jones just said. “To help you kids I need’s Jesus on our side and to have Jesus on our side I need’s you kids to remember?”

Suddenly like a freight train it hit Lincoln in the face. “No 5! The mine shaft we fell through the boards remember!” Lincoln screamed out as he remembered. 

“Yes! You where bouncing like a jerk remember Willie?” Josie exclaimed. 

“So! We got out of there didn’t we?” Willie said.

“You sure about that…. Willie?” Old man Jones said. 

“What do you mean we climbed out?” Willie said. 

‘You kids been in these woods and know them like the back of your hands yet today of all days you get yourselves lost, What do you think happened?” Old man Jones voice became deeper and they all began to become dizzy. 

“I don’t feel too good!” Josie said looking rather pale. 

‘Me neither!” Willie felt dizzy.

“What’s happening to us? “ Lincoln became lightheaded. 

All three of them felt nauseous and seemed to black out. 

“What happened, I don’t remember anything?” Josie said to Lincoln taking his hand in hers for comfort. 

“It’s strange I had a dream we were all in a clearing Linc!” Willie interrupted. “But we’re here at No5…how did…what’s happening?” 

Lincoln his face screwed up in confusion couldn’t understand what was happening to them.

“I can feel the warm breeze and smell the trees and now its bright sunshine when it was night just a few minutes ago!” Lincoln said

” Yeah! And I remember us trying to walk home and crossing the Creek Bridge, then getting lost!”

All three of them looked at the No5 shaft in the middle of the wild tall grass. 

“Look”! Willie pointed to the shaft itself  “The boards covering it are broken!"

At this point they heard a deep laughing behind them. 

"Hahaha of course the boards are broken Willie, don’t you remember?” All three of them slowly turned around and there in front of them was old man Jones with his lit clay pipe between his teeth smiling.

“Old man Jones!” Willie said, Josie and Lincoln froze to the spot. 

”Hahaha now you kids gotta remember!” Old man Jones waited for a response. “No!” He looked them in the eyes and said “Kids, those boards have been broken for two years now from when you fell through them, I’m here to look after you kids now Mr. Jones hung his head …Course I think, when it’s your turn to move on you gonna go to the good place, Hahaha!”

Josie, Willie and Lincoln were silent as they looked at each other. 

“You…you!” Willie gulped  “You mean we’re dead?” 

Josie began to sob 

“Sure your dead kids, I aint the only ghost in these woods and now you know why you can feel me and see me. I’m here to help you pass and look after you until it’s your time to move on! “

With that Old man Jones, the man in the wood gave them a wink and turned to walk towards the creek “Come on then kids!” 

He gestured for them to follow and all three of them followed old man Jones to the clearing and the creek in the woods.

Now if you listen carefully and keep your eyes open you just might hear the playful laughter and maybe catch a glimpse of Josie, Willie and Lincoln playing go hide and seek with Old man Jones…the man in the wood.