This week brings the conclusion of Campfire Frights from Troop 15, a month-long story that's happened all October in Second Saturday Stories.
Those who have been following know Willy told a whopper last week that left the rest of the troop stunned. Anyone new to the campfire circle should know this is a series told through the month of October about 4 scouts who find they are locked out of camp when they arrive so they tell each other scary stories around the campfire while their Scouter tries to find a way inside the camp. You can catch up on every previous part with the following links: So far we've met the troop and heard Brayden's story of a hapless woman caught in a cornfield. after that Brian started his story of greed fuelled funder who digs a bit too much into his latest investment. and last week Derek took his turn telling a "true story" of when he visited his uncle in the backwoods. Read on for a portion of the conclusion where we find Scouter Alan investigating the strange sounds he's heard around the camp. Is he just imagining something, or are there malignant forces at work in the camp? read on. You can read the final part of the story at 3 pm today.
The fire was a few dying tongues of flame licking over the husk of a maple log. Derek stirred the coals and placed another log on before announcing he was going to take a leak. With one of their party gone the silence around the fire turned awkward as the scouts wrestled with the dwindling warmth of the fire, and the fear of venturing into the darkness for more wood. When he came back into the firelight, Scouter Alan was a welcome distraction.
“Darn near pitch-black over here, I wanted to make sure you four hadn’t run off on me and left the fire to die out.”
“Nothing like that sir.” Willy piped up “we just finished scary stories.”
“Well let’s hope you all can still sleep.” Scouter Alan laughed. He met their gaze and held it in the dying light for a few more seconds before stirring the coals and adding a few nearby sticks. He sat down on Derek’s vacated log. “Well, tall tales around the fire is one thing, but I’ve got a story that’s been passed down from troop to troop and I can guarantee it’s bona fide true.” he ignored the groans from around the campfire.
“You see it was a night just like this one, at a bluff not far from here. A couple had pulled over in their car to take in the night. They had the radio on low when suddenly the music was broken by a news bulletin. Barely a half-hour ago someone had escaped from a high-security prison close by. So close in fact it bordered on the same woods that wrapped the point the couple was parked on in privacy. There had been a jailbreak, and one of the most dangerous prisoners they had in there was on the loose. Except that this prisoner was one with a very, very strange appendage. -”
‘Hook for a hand hanging on the car door handle.” Derek said as he sat back down. A collective sigh of relief spread through the group.
“Thank you.” Brayden said “EVERYBODY knows that one.”
“What do you guys say? ‘Spoiled alert’ Mr. Rogers.” Al asked, ignoring that Derek had broken one of the basic rules of scout camp which was to use indoor plumbing if it was available, but under the circumstances, Al was willing to let him answer the call of nature in the great outdoors.
“It’s spoiler, I think.” Willy piped up.
“Well fine then. If that one’s been done to death, then this is one from my own experience. It’s a Simmons family original. So a few years ago a group of sorority sisters was staying off-campus over the Christmas holidays. My Great Aunt happened to be a part of this group and it was a time when being in a sisterhood truly meant something. But what the rest of her housemates didn’t know was that Aunty Sarah Simmons had a terrible secret! That is until one night when the phone rang and a sinister voice on the other end told her friend Gladys that-”
“Calls are coming from inside the house!.” Brain spoiled. The rest of the guys couldn’t hold back their laughter this time, even scouter Alan grinned but feigned anger.
“Jeeze guys! Gimme a break here huh? Alright fine. While I try and get one that you haven’t heard why don’t you set up your tents.”
“Tents?” Willy mirrored the confusion of his fellow scouts. “I thought we were staying in the legion hall? I didn’t pack a lot of warm clothes.”
“Well it’s unseasonably warm for this time of year I thought it would be a shame to waste it, plus it’s a cloudless night I figured you could all get a head start on your astronomy badge. I tell ya what I’ll even build a fire over there and tend to it so no one should get that cold overnight, Deal?” Alan didn’t wait for any agreement before answering himself “deal. Ok troop 15, double time now.” He could tell the boys weren’t happy about it but they were still at that golden age where the most insubordination they would put up was a few grumbles and muttered swears before following through with what he asked.
The story concludes at 3 pm today
