Walttriznastories's Blog

THE LEGEND OF FRENCH CREEK, PART V

November 25, 2024 at 1:01 pm Leave a comment

The Legend

                                                         of                    

                                                 French Creek

Two weeks later, we were packing for our camping trip.  Our dog, Millie, appeared to be as excited as we were, seeing her food and toys packed up and taken out to the van.

We set out on the afternoon of Halloween full of anticipation in leaving our daily lives and spending a weekend in the wilderness with our pup.  After finding our campsite, we quickly set up camp and Millie, attached to a long lead, sniffed the forest floor.  That night, seated by a roaring campfire with Joan, my imagination ran wild.  I pictured Druids descending on our campsite, with us captured for their human sacrifices.  Of course, nothing happened.  The entire night passed, uneventful.  My imagination can be a weird place.

The next morning, we planned our first hike with Millie.  The Orange Trail passed behind our tent.  It was an easy trail, ideal for Millie, my wife and me.  After packing lunch, we set out in late morning with Millie taking the lead, full of excitement.  We walked the trail for a little more than two miles when it meandered toward the perimeter of the park.  After another half mile, Millie’s excitement on this adventure changed dramatically.  Our pup began to growl and pull away from the direction we were going, not wanting to continue.  We pulled her along and her growl became a whimper of fear, something we’d never seen her exhibit.  Another fifty feet and there it was.  I was sure it was the site of the minister’s house described by the old man in the store.

As Millie pulled back on her leash, we approached the destroyed structure.  There was a concrete slab about thirty by twenty feet off the trail with charred posts sticking out from points in the foundation.  A rusted bedspring was the only sign of furniture.  A few decaying pipes punctured the concrete slab.  What was unusual was the lack of vegetation surrounding the slab.  No trees had invaded the immediate area.  Only weeds and forest litter marred the land.

 We stood there, with Millie pulling away.  Joan said, “What a curious place out here in the middle of nowhere.  And why is Millie acting so strange?”

I had yet to relate to Joan the story the old man told me.  As we continued on our hike, I told her about the old man’s story.  We both noticed that the farther we walked along the trail, the more Millie returned to her pleasant disposition.

I knew I had to return to these ruins on the summer solstice to investigate.

Entry filed under: free science fiction and horror stories, free stories, PUBLISHED WORKS, READER'S OPPORTUNITIES, Walt Trizna, Walt Trizna's Stories. Tags: book review, book reviews, books, camping, fiction, French Creek State Park, horror, Pennsylvania state parks, reviews, Ricketts Glen State Park, Spam, The Legend of French Creek, Walt Trizna.