Mystery at Devil's Elbow

“Momma can we go play in the forest?” asked Lisa. Martha looked up at her daughter as she was wiping down the wooden furniture in the living room. Lisa and Mary had been playing upstairs in Lisa’s room. They were now bored and wanted to go out and play.

“No dear I’m scared of you playing down there,” said Martha.

“Momma we will stay within sight of the house and not go in the forest. Would that be okay?” asked Lisa.

Martha didn’t want the girls to play in the forest with all that had happened. She was told it was safe, but still had concerns. She also knew she couldn’t keep the girls in the house or yard forever.

“If you stay within sight of the house, but don’t go into the forest,” said Martha.

“Mary, let’s go. We can play next to the forest.”

“You girls be careful and get your coats on.”

The girls played near the tree-line by the railroad tracks. This time they were looking for lizards. The girls loved to play with the small blue and green reptiles that lived in the area.

They were running and giggling in the tall grass when Lisa stopped. She looked across the field at the tree line. There was a dark shadow just inside the trees that looked like a huge person.

Mary noticed Lisa was standing there and looked in the direction that she saw Lisa looking. She too saw the dark creature. They both crouched down in the tall grass and watched the tall creature to see what it was doing. The mysterious creature didn’t move. The girls were afraid to move because they thought the large creature would come after them.

Lisa slowly walked hunched over to where Mary was. Together they walked hunched over toward the road to get a better view. Lisa and Mary began to whisper back and forth.

“What is that?” asked Lisa.

“Can’t tell,” said Mary

“Somebody from around here?”

“I don’t know anybody here that big.”

“I wish it would step out into the daylight, so we could see it better.”

As if on cue, the tall creature stepped out just enough from the trees so that the sun shone on the right side of its body. The creature had its back to the girls and appeared to be looking down the railroad tracks.

“Its covered with hair,” said Mary in a high-pitched whisper.

“I see,” said Lisa excitedly.

“We don’t have anybody around here like that.”

“Since it has his back to us, it can’t see us.”

“Let’s get back to the house.”

“Yeah, let’s go,” said Lisa as she wiped her eyes.

Both girls walked hunched over for about 20 feet. They turned and saw that the hairy creature still had its back to them. They got up and slowly and quietly walked back to their house. They checked several times, but the hairy creature wasn’t following.

“Momma, come quick,” said Lisa as she sprinted up to Martha.

Martha stepped out of the living room into the kitchen. “What you want, Lisa?”

“Momma, there’s a big hairy person down in the forest.”

“What’re you talking about?” Martha raised an eyebrow.

“It’s a big hairy person,” said Lisa with wide eyes and flushed cheeks.

“She’s tellin’ truth, Momma. There’s a big hairy person down in the forest,” said Mary, waving her arms to show how tall it was.

“Come on girls, there are plenty of big hairy people that live in this area,” said Martha.

“No Momma, this thing has hair all over his body. Not like the people around here,” said Lisa.

“What are you talking about?” asked Martha.

“It was big and tall. Taller than anybody we know,” said Lisa.

“It had hair all over its body and was wearing no clothes,” said Mary as she tugged at the hair on her arms, one of her nervous habits.

“It had his back to us so we couldn’t see his face,” said Lisa, shrugging her shoulders.

“We know it’s not from around here, Momma.”

“You girls stay in the house until your father gets home. You can tell him about it.”

The two girls went up to their rooms. Martha locked all the doors and windows in the house. She didn’t know what the girls were talking about, but she wasn’t going to take any chances. Martha got ready for work while she waited for Lewis to come home.

About four o’clock, Martha heard Lewis pull up into the driveway. Lewis came to the back door and found it locked. He furrowed his brow, and his heart beat a little harder in his chest. They had never locked the doors while someone was home. Martha stepped up and opened the door for him to come in.

“What’s going on?” asked Lewis as he stepped into the kitchen.

“Our daughters saw something again.”

“Is that why you locked the doors?”

“Yeah. I want the girls to tell you what they saw.”

“Let me get a beer and take a seat. Then the girls can tell me what happened.”

“Okay, I’m headed off to work. Call me if you need me,” said Martha as she kissed him on the cheek. She worked evenings from 4:30 PM to 1:00 AM at the hospital as a nurse’s aide.

Lewis got a beer and walked over to the stairway.

“Come down girls, daddy’s home,” said Lewis.

Both girls skipped down the stairs together to give him a big hug. After he hugged each, they followed him over to the kitchen table.

“Take a seat and tell me what you saw today.”

“Daddy, can I go first cause I’m the oldest?” asked Lisa.

“You can take turns.”

“Me an Mary were looking for lizards in the forest,” said Lisa.

“We were in the tall grass, and I looked up and saw Lisa starring into the forest.”

“I was staring in the forest, Daddy, at a tall, dark person. Me and Mary both could see it,” said Lisa with raised arms to show how tall the creature was.

“It stepped out of the forest and the sun shined on its back. It had long red hair all over its body,” said Mary, holding her hair out at its length.

“Me and Mary both said it’s not from ’round here, Daddy.”

“We came home quietly and told Momma,” said Mary.

“Did it come after you girls?” Lewis rubbed his cheek with his hand.

“No Daddy, it just stood there.”

“Did it say anything?”

“No, Daddy, it didn’t say a word,” said Mary.

“After you girls were in the house, did you hear or see anything of it?”

“No, Daddy, we was busy playing’,” said Mary.

“I wouldn’t worry. Sounds like some guy dressed up in a camouflaged hunting suit, probably playing a joke on some friends out there. You girls just happened to see him.”

“Why don’t you two go back upstairs and play.

“I don’t think that it was a man,” said Lisa.

“Me neither,” said Mary.

“We’ve talked about this before. There are no such things as monsters. I am sure this was something we can explain.”

“Okay, Daddy if you’re sure,” said Lisa.

“I’m sure.”

Lisa and Mary hopped up the stairs to play with their dolls. Lewis sat at the table for a while, thinking about what the girls had said. He hoped it was a man dressed in a camouflage suit. It would be easier that way.

He walked over to the stove and looked in the pot that his wife had left on the burner. She left them tomato soup for supper. In the refrigerator, he found tuna fish sandwiches to go with the soup. He set the table, put food out, and called the girls down to eat.

Both girls ate their fill. Lewis sent them out to play on the swing set until dark. As he put the food up and washed the dishes, he was still thinking about the tall hairy thing his daughters had seen. Later, he called the girls in and helped them get ready for bed. After he tucked them in, he went downstairs and called his wife at work.

“Everything okay?” Martha asked.

“Yeah, everything’s fine. The girls enjoyed their supper and are in bed now.”

“Did they tell you about the hairy thing they saw?” asked Martha in a low whisper.

“Yeah, they told me.” Lewis shook his head and smiled.

“So, what you think?”

“I think they saw some man dressed up in a camouflage suit pulling a joke on his friends.”

Martha thought for a moment. “You really think so?”

“Sure, there’s no such thing as a big hairy person.”

“So, what do you think we should do?”

“We shouldn’t do anything. This was just a prank.”

“So … we don’t tell anybody.”

“No, I don’t think we need to say anything.”

“Sounds good. See ya’ when I get home.”

“See you then, honey.”

The girls were up early the next morning and out playing. Martha felt it best for them to stay in the yard until the school bus came. She cleaned the house and listened to the radio. She could see through the front window that the girls were getting on the bus.

Later that morning at the top of the hour the local news reported that a young woman about 20 years of age had gone missing. She was last seen by her boyfriend near Devil’s Elbow Bridge. He left her at the sandwich shop and went home. The reporter said that the sheriff’s office was asking anyone with information to please contact them.

Martha dropped onto the couch. Could the big hairy thing have anything to do with this woman’s disappearance? Martha sat wringing her hands, then she picked up the phone. She called Lewis, but he was out on the job. She left a message.

She and Lewis had agreed not to tell anyone about the thing the girls saw. But the news of this missing woman made her wonder if she shouldn’t call the sheriff. Martha decided to wait until 11:30 AM. Lewis would come in for lunch and should call her back then. Luckily, he did.

“Thank goodness you called. Have you been listening to the radio?” Martha asked.

“No, is something wrong?”

“On the news this morning, they reported a 20-year-old woman missing. She was last seen by her boyfriend at the sandwich shop down the road.”

“That’s unbelievable,” said Lewis with a slight break in his voice.

“Do you think that hairy thing could have had something to do with it?”

Lewis regained his composure and spoke matter of fact. “I wouldn’t think so, but it’s an awful coincidence, ain’t it?”

“I know we said we weren’t gonna tell anybody about the hairy creature … but now I think we should tell the sheriff—”

“—I think your right can you call him. I gotta go back to the job site?” asked Lewis.

“Sure, I’ll let you know what he says when you get home.”

“Okay Martha, keep a close eye on the girls after school.”

“I’ll bring them in the house when they get home.”

After hanging up with Lewis, she dialed the phone.

“Hello, may I speak to Sheriff Carson please?” asked Martha.

“Sorry ma’am, he’s out on a call right now. Can I take a message?” asked Maxine.

“If you could you tell him that Martha Fisher called. I think I might have some information on the missing woman.”

“I’ll give the sheriff your message, ma’am.”

When the girls got home from school, Martha told them to go upstairs and play with their toys. She had already double checked the doors and windows on the first floor just after speaking with Lewis.

Martha was coming downstairs from checking on the girls when she heard a car in the driveway. She looked out to see a sheriff’s car with two men in uniform coming toward her, JD Carlson and Deputy Bishop. Martha opened the door and asked them to have a seat in the living room.

“Thanks for calling,” JD said. “I can’t say I’m surprised. I hope this has nothing to do with the skeletons.”

JD and Bishop both sat on the couch in the living room.

“Yesterday the girls saw a large hairy thing over in the area where the skeletons were buried,” Martha said.

“Are they here, Martha?”

“Yeah, they’re upstairs.”

“Can I hear the story from them?”

“Sure, let me go get ’em.”

Martha walked to the foot of the stairs and called for the girls to come down. Both girls trotted down the stairs into the living room.

“Your momma told me that you saw a hairy thing yesterday. Can you tell me what happened?” JD asked.

“Me an Mary were looking for lizards in the forest,” said Lisa.

“We was in the tall grass, and looked up and saw a tall, dark shadowy thing. It stepped outta the forest and the sun shined on its back. It had long red hair all over,” said Mary.

“We came home and told Momma,” said Lisa.

“Did it see you, girls?”

“No, it just stood there with its back to us,” said Lisa, holding out her hand’s palm up.

“Did you say anything to it?”

“No, we was too scared,” said Mary as she hugged herself.

“Did it know you were behind it?”

“I don’t think so,” said Mary.

“That’s good, girls. Thanks for telling me the story.”

“We was scared,” said Lisa.

“I don’t think there’s anything to be scared about.”

“Daddy said it was a man in a camouflage suit,” said Lisa.

“You know, that’s probably just what it was. You girls wanna go back upstairs and play for a bit while I talk to your mom?”

They all sat quietly as the girls went back upstairs.

“I didn’t want to scare the girls, Martha, but this is getting serious,” said JD in a low whisper.

“I feel the same way, JD. What can we do?” Martha rubbed her hand across her forehead.

“Keep the girls close just in case this isn’t a man in a camouflage suit.”

Martha clasped her hand over her mouth. “Are you saying this may be a real creature?”