There was a bridge down there that the local folks liked to dump their garbage at, which meant there was always an ample supply of bottles to be busted with the many rocks that was available. It was such fun to hear the glass shatter and to try and bust more bottles than the other. They were still young enough to enjoy the thrill of such innocent fun. The bridge and the lane had a dark side though, that both were aware of, but it had never meant much to them before.

While camping out in Granny’s back yard, they had heard strange howls and screams that seemed to come from that area, but they had never given it much thought, "Black panthers, that’s what that is," Don said one night, "My Grandma told me that there used to be black panthers down there at the ole abandoned Hardygully place. She said there were some folks named Hardygully that lived there on the lane and they just up and abandoned the place late one night, even leaving all of their stuff and wouldn't even go back and get it! Grandma said she knew why they left in such a hurry but she wouldn't ever tell me about it other than to not go down there after dark."

Tommy wasn’t so sure about Don’s opinion on the black panthers, he had cut his teeth listening to his Grandpa, Big Tommy, for whom he was named. His tale always began with being chased out of the woods while out coon hunting one night, when he was a boy, by a shadowy being covered in long, matted hair that looked like it stood well over 8 feet tall and was always the same everytime Grandpa would tell it. Little Tommy never tired of hearing the story because there was just something special about how he would tell it, the little boy would sit spell bound, intently watching Grandpa's face as the story would unfold.

The old man would always pause for a spell after this opening to his story. As Little Tommy closely watched the old man's face, he could see the fear still there in the old man's eyes, as he remembered that fateful night of long ago. Even after all the years that had passed, he still had to stop as if to get his nerve up to take that stroll back down a lane in his memory that had been the most terrifying of his life. Little Tommy would be hanging on his every word and the suspense of the moment was almost something he could feel. Grandpa would finally manage to get his nerve up and take the plunge and start back down that long ago lane that had been forever burned into his mind. With eyes as big as half dollars he would begin. He had said he could make out the shadowy outline of this 'haint hiding behind the tree because it was bigger than the tree it was trying to hide behind, and large parts of him was sticking out like a sore thumb, just not only its head. That was obscured by a forked limb that still had lots of leaves that had not fallen yet. It was when it slowly slid its head and shoulders down to look at Grandpa that he got really scared he said. The reflection from the moonlight hit the creatures eyes and as it did it lit up the face of something he had never dreamed of, even in his wildest nightmares. The eye's glowed a strange pinkish, red in the late night moonlight and he could also see its mouth slightly open and it was huffing. He had been blowed at by deer but this was different. It was very slow and deliberate with a lung capacity that was unbelievable. Grandpa knew he was very much in danger when he saw its face he said. Whatever this thing was, it wasn't happy at seeing him and the feeling was mutual. As they stood there, in a stare down that was getting more intense by the second, Grandpa's eyes caught the sight of something laying on the ground at the base of the tree. By the moonlight he could tell it was some kind of dead animal and the realization hit him that he had walked up on this creature while it was feeding. His eyes caught in a flash now what they had missed earlier. He could make out the blood on the 'haint's face, hands, and its his chest area. He knew now why it was so angry and there was no, "I am sorry" in the world that this critter would accept.

The coon dogs that had always been so ferocious and willing to tie into anything on four or two limbs, were now cowering around Big Tommy’s legs. All of a sudden, Grandpa saw that large head go backward and the bloody mouth opened wide and this 'haint let out a screaming, howl that reverberated through his whole being. It was angry alright, and that anger was directed at the intruders into its wooded domain. It was at this point that the dogs ran off, yelping all the way home, leaving Big Tommy there all alone. He had his trusty ole rifle he would say and Little Tommy would always feel better at this point in the story, no matter how many times he had heard the tale, but that feeling would disappear in the time it took his Grandpa to draw another breath, as the old man repeated that his Dad had given it to him, but in the back of his mind, he knew this wasn’t gonna be enough gun for whatever that was standing behind that tree.

As Grandpa told the story, fear started to take over and he turned and started to run, the panic mounting as he heard this creature drop to all fours and start its run after him. He felt it more than heard it, he could feel the earth tremor as its hands and feet were pounding the ground in pursuit of him. It was always at this point that little Tommy would become terrified and start to cry, "What did you do Grandpa, what did you do?" All Grandpa would ever say was , "Why son, I just ran faster and prayed harder, and I guess the Good Lord was listening, you see I’m still here now don’t ya?" He would then wink at Little Tommy which always made the child wonder just how true the story was.

All of this was the farthest from either one of their minds as they made their way down the dusty road that lead where they would turn their bikes onto the old lane. Who was going to bust the most bottles with all the rocks that was down by the bridge was the adventure of the day. So intent were they on their purpose, they had not even noticed that sundown was not far off. Grandma Josie's warnings to not be caught down there after dark was a minor rule to be broken as they could really see no sense in it when it came to having fun. The young boys were set on doing what they wanted, but warnings unheeded sometimes lead to disaster, as they would soon discover.

The little lane lies nestled between about a mile and a half stretch of dense woods. It is always cool and dark down there in the summertime, because of the deep shade cast by the big hardwood trees. The trees were very old and massive, and their branches drape the lane like a blanket, making it difficult for the sunlight to penetrate and casting everything into shadow. Lots of folks didn't like to even go down the lane in the daytime, because looking at it from the main road, it looked like you were entering a long, dark tunnel, plus it was just plain creepy, they said. They had rather go on past it and take the round-about-way, with the excuse that it just gives them the woolies. But to kids that’s just more reason to go. That eerie feeling of quiet and peace mixed, at the same time, with a feeling of dread, the feeling of knowing that this is not a place to be at after dark, beckons to them with a call they cannot resist.

Don and Tommy reached the entrance and made the turn in a flash, quickly disappearing down the lane like they had been swallowed up in its shadows. "It is so much cooler down here" Don said to Tommy as they were peddling side by side.

"Yeah it is, I just hope your grandma don't get mad at us if we're late getting back to the house" Tommy said with a chuckle. "I don't like to have her mad at us ya know, she can put the fear of God in ya."

They both laughed at this remark because Grandma Josie had presided over many come-to-Jesus meetings with the two and her anger wasn't something they really cared to incur, but the thrill of the adventure seemed worth the risk...... at the moment

As the two young boys saw the bridge up ahead they started peddling faster in a race to see who could get there first. Don being the smaller of the two naturally beat his chubby friend who arrived huffing and puffing and out of breath and a tad irate at having lost yet another race to his swifter friend.

"You cheated!" Tommy said.

"I didn't cheat and if you wouldn't eat so much you might win a race once in a while, so don't blame me cause you can't keep up, quit your bellyachin and lets go bust some bottles" replied Don.

While they were looking around the bridge for rocks Tommy got a whiff of a horrible smell. It was a cross between a skunk, wet dog, something dead, of rotting food with a tad of something sickly sweet thrown in.

"You smell that Don, man that is rank!" he said wrinkling up his face.

Don almost started to gag it was so bad. "Must be something dead under the bridge, I don't know if I am gonna be able to stand this without pukin" he said.

Just as suddenly as the smell appeared it was gone, leaving the two boys to wonder about its origin. They didn't waste much time on it though other than they were glad it had vanished, whatever it was. Now they could enjoy what they had rode down there for......busting bottles!

Don found a good sized rock, the kind that fits nicely between the first three fingers of your hand, not too big but not to small either, just right to bust a bottle with. The sound of glass shattering was like music to the boys ears. They continued on busting their bottles until the score was 15 to 12 with Tommy having the advantage. Finally! he just might beat Don at something just once. As he was looking around for a rock he suddenly  got an eerie feeling that they were not alone, it was that kind of feeling that starts at the base of your spine and slowly makes its way up, until that final moment when you realize that every hair on the back of your neck is standing straight out. Without a word he turned to see if Don had the same feeling and as their eyes met the fear was very apparent in each of their faces.

Very quietly almost below a whisper Tommy uttered, "Do you feel that Don?" but all he could do was slowly nod his head, afraid to even acknowledge what he was feeling. The old timers tales of this lane and all those stories they had heard around the camp fire with Big Tommy came rushing back, like water over a (bleep).

Tommy suddenly remembered Grandpa’s tale of horror and of the two young lovers who disappeared without a trace, leaving behind only their beat up car with the half-ripped off roof with one car door missing. The girl's one red shoe was found lying about 50 yards into the dark woods. It also suddenly dawned on him that it was just up the lane aways that the car had been found.

Another terrifying thought came rushing at him! How in the world could he have forgotten crazy ole Aunt Florence who had been walking down this very lane over 30 years before and came running and screaming back to the house, that monsters were after her and had to be confined to the asylum off and on for the rest of her life! What was he thinking coming down here knowing all those stories? The lesson about heeding warnings was about to be taught.

In their youthful enjoyment of busting bottles they had lost track of the time and they now noticed that it was late in the evening by the faint filtering of the fading sunlight through the trees. As they stood frozen on the bridge with unknown fear, they finally saw out of the corner of their eyes a shadowy figure emerge from the dark depths of the woods, standing just up the lane blocking their only avenue of escape. The fear now was no longer unknown but very real and approaching.The creature they saw had to be at least 8 ft tall, covered in long, dark shaggy hair and its arms hung below its knees. The shoulders were wide, broad as Grandma's big, ole picture-window on the back porch. It was at this point that the creature threw back its head and let out the most spine chilling howl they had ever heard in their young lives, loud, so very loud, that they could feel the vibration in their own bodies.

Fear had taken over by now and was compounded as they saw a hand reach from under the bridge and grasp hold of the edge. It was like nothing they had ever seen, it was enormous and covered with reddish brown, shaggy hair. The fingernails had a fang like quality to them and in a flash the boys realized that whatever was down there had been there the whole time, like it was waiting for its moment and that moment was now! Then that God awful smell hit them again. It was coming off this creature and it was almost paralyzing. Their senses were overwhelmed by what they were seeing and smelling and the knowledge that it had been there all along, didn't help.

The sun was sinking fast and dark was surrounding them. The terrified boys didn't know what to do. The creature down the lane was between them and home and the other creature was slowly trying to pull itself up onto the bridge. They had both managed to slowly back up until they heard their feet crunch on the gravel and they saw to their horror the beast down the lane was slowly approaching and growling at them. They thought about running but remembered what Big Tommy had told them about running from animals, if indeed these two "things' could be called animals since they walked like a man..... on two legs. "If you run, you become prey," he had said, but the two boys didn't really have any options. Ordinary rules of hunting did not apply here.

There was only one other way to go and that was the opposite direction, down the lane that wound deeper into the woods. Don was the one that finally broke loose of the fear that had him held speechless and shouted so loud that it must have deafened Tommy, but that shout was in reality a whisper, "RUN!"

Their bicycles were left lying on the bridge as Tommy followed Don's lead and down the lane they ran, away from the safety of home and Grandma Josie, deeper into what they were so desperately wanting to get away from........the woods and the boogers chasing them.

With one backward glance they saw what had been lurking under the bridge as it made its presence fully known. In a flash of time they saw the creature easily pull itself up from the depths of the old creek bed and start in their direction as the other creature joined him. This one was well over 9 feet tall and looked the same as the other one but bigger, My God, much bigger, the shoulders on this one was almost as wide as half of the barn door and in the fading evening light the eyes glowed a pale, pinkish, red too! As the animals started after the two frightened boys, the largest of the creatures stepped on Tommy's laid over bicycle, not even missing a step. Angrily he kicked it out of the way, quickening his pace. The boys were running as hard and fast as their legs could carry them, but the distance between them and the creatures was getting shorter and shorter, time was running out and they both knew it.

All of a sudden, they thought they could possibly make out the shine of headlights coming around the bend. "Oh Lord in Heaven, please let that be somebody, please Dear Lord, I promise to never do anything wrong again in my life if you will just let that please be somebody, anybody," wheezed poor Tommy. He was the chubby one no doubt, but that wasn't stopping him from keeping up with the skinnier Don.

As the lights appeared, like a beacon of hope from around the bend, the boys went to waving their arms and screaming trying to flag the vehicle down. "MONSTERS!!! MONSTERS are chasing us!!!," to which the ole man driving the truck, just grinned and said "Monsters chasin ya? I don't see no monsters, my headlights are shinnin all tha way down to that there bridge yonder and all I see is y'alls bicycles."

The boys were still too frightened to turn around and look, so the ole man motioned for them to hop into the back of the picku,p but they quickly shook their heads no, and asked him if they could ride up front with him. He just chuckled and said "Sure, and I'll pick up your bicycles down yonder on that bridge too, wouldn't want no monsters to be gettin em," still chuckling.

As the old man reached over and opened the passenger door both terrified boys piled in on top of each other and had the door shut and locked in a flash. The old man was still chuckling to himself as he eased onto the old bridge and stopped. He looked over at them and something in their faces stopped him from laughing, the look of deathly, white fear was etched in their faces. He had only seen that look once and he remembered it well. It was when his Mammy had come busting in the house out of breath one day when he was a young man after having been out picking blackberries and told him that something very large, walking on two legs and covered in hair, had chased her all the way to the pasture gate, staying just inside the tree line. He had went out to where she said she saw it watching her go through the gate and looked around but never saw anything other than some large impressions in the forest floor but that could have been made by anything..........or could it?

The old man slowly got out of his truck and walked over and picked one of the bicycles up and carefully placed it in the back of his truck. He noticed the other bike was at the other end of the bridge, and as he got closer to it, he could tell that it was messed up. As he bent over to pick it up, he noticed that in the center of the laid over bike their was a definite outline of what appeared to be a huge foot!!! It looked like something with about an 18 inch foot had just crushed this bike. It was at this point that the old man slowly raised his head and looked in the direction from which he had just came and there, in the dark, in the middle of the road, he could see two sets of red eyes glowing, each eye spaced several inches apart from the other one. The old man hastily threw the remaining bike into the bed of the pickup and slowly backed his way to the opened door of the truck, never taking his eyes off what he was watching down the road and just as slowly climbed in. As he quickly shifted into gear he looked in his rear view mirror and he could see by the light from his tail lights the outline of two creatures standing in the middle of the road, eyes glowing red. He looked over at the two boys and they now noticed from the illumination of the dash board lights that his face too, was drained of color. Not a word was spoken on the way home between the old man and the boys, and in the weeks that followed another pair of parkers, as they were known back then, disappeared, almost the same as the others, but this time the car had been overturned as well. The boys never got over there experience, it haunted their days of existence until the very day they died. Neither one ever went back down that lane again, and as they would pass it on the main road, they would always would speed up and zip past as fast as they could. They never spoke of the incident they had shared in there youth either, to have spoken of it would have been to live it all over again and neither wanted to revisit the terror of that long ago summer evening. Tommy did keep his bicycle as a reminder to never again take life so lightly or for granted and also as a reminder to heed warnings.

Their lives seemed to have been marked from that evening onward. Tragedy seemed to dog their youth until claiming Don at the age of 17 in a motorcycle accident. His chubby friend Tommy lived on another 16 years before dying from a brain injury received when his horse spooked and he fell, hitting his head on a stump......he was 33.

Copyright © August 06 2000. All rights reserved.