Mayhem Swamp (standard:fairy tales, 1706 words)
Author: Alpha43	Added: May 10 2005	Views/Reads: 3902/2536	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
The lost boy gets some good advise about getting back to civilization from a very unusual source.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

“Excuse me mister, who are you?” The boy cautiously asked. 

The little guy did not turn and look at him; he just kept rubbing his
hands over the fire and said, “ Well my lad, it‘s good you finally woke 
up. I’m Jay Riley, outdoorsman extraordinaire, and who might you be?” 
The old man announced, completely at ease. 

“I’m Cal Applebee and I have never been so happy to see anybody in my
life. I don’t suppose you would have anything to eat?” 

The old man laughed out loud and said, “What would I be doing with
vittles?” Then the old man quickly spun around and said, “You don’t 
look too successful with your hunt, your gun is still clean, and fully 
loaded I might add. I suppose by tomorrow you will either shoot a deer 
or you will have to be heading out for your home, correct?” 

The boy did not really know what to say, he did not want to admit he was
lost, but he was tired and so hungry that pride would have to take 
second place for now. “Yeah, I think I will head towards town about 
noon tomorrow if I haven’t filled my license. Towns that way, isn’t 
it?” as he pointed towards the same old path he had tried so many 
times. “I think my compass says that way is south.” 

The little fellow said nothing for a long time, then after a couple
chuckles he said; “When you decide to head out tomorrow, hold your 
compass way out in front of you to see which direction is south. Your 
hunting knife and belt buckle are made of metals which could make the 
compass needle point in the wrong direction. Your old enough to know 
that, what’s wrong with you. Only a fool would get turned around out 
here in No-Mans-Land! 

Well, I’m warm now, I gotta go.” The old man stood up, all four foot of
him, and stepped over the stones, directly into the fire, through the 
smoke, and he was gone. 

Gone, Cal could not see him anywhere. Cal was upset because the old man
called him a fool, but after the old guy stepped into the fire, Cal 
thought he might just be dreaming, and soon he was. 

The next morning, as the sun lit the eastern sky, Cal got up, took out
his compass and held it in front of him and the needle pointed in the 
same direction that it had before. Slowly, he pushed the compass 
farther out in front of him and the needle slowly swung to the left a 
full 90 degrees. He grabbed his gun, looked around for anything he 
might be forgetting, and then he noticed that the campfire pit was cold 
and wet, with his footprints still in the snow and ashes from his first 
day hunting. He leaned down and touched the ashes, cold and damp. This 
didn’t make any sense. He had a strange feeling, shivered with 
Goosebumps for a second, then quickly headed out in the new direction. 

After an hour, he walked into an open field that looked familiar, and
yes, he was back at Excelsior. He stood there grinning, then wiped the 
grime off his clothes and prepared to go in the house and get a good 
chewing out. Listening to how he should never have been hunting alone 
in the first place, ‘too young’ and ‘too green to the outdoors,’ but he 
did not care. It was great to see his folks and to be safe back at 
home. 

Things were pretty much as he expected, some yelling, a lot of
questions, and even more tears. He had never been hugged so much in his 
life. He felt silly, but he kind of liked it. 

His dad told him to run down to Dexter Brown’s farm at the end of the
road and tell them he was all right and see if they could let the other 
neighbors know, so they could call off the search they were organizing. 
As Cal was about to close the back door, his dad yelled out, “Can you 
go that far without getting lost?” His dad had a big smile on his face. 


Cal told Mrs. Brown that he appreciated everybody’s concern and he
wondered if she could call the neighbors to let them know he was all 
right. She gave him a kiss on the forehead and told him she was glad he 
was safe and she would call everyone with the good news. 

Walking past the cow barn, Cal ran into Dexter, and he shook Cal’s hand,
asking him if he was scared in the swamp. Cal admitted he was pretty 
scared. Then Cal felt a little embarrassed as he asked Mr. Brown if he 
had ever heard of anybody named Jay Riley? 

Mr. Brown broke out into a laugh and said, “Son, everybody for miles
around knew Jay, he was the town drunk, our very own Village idiot, and 
a con man from way back. He poached more deer than most people will 
ever see. Spent half his life in jail. 

Darn fool lived here 67 years, fished every creek and poached all the
open farm land in the county and still managed wonder into the Mayhem 
swamp some 12 years ago and nobody’s seem hide nor hair of him since. 

“If that damn fool was alive today there is little doubt that you and
every other...” 


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