Whistler in the Woods (He Roams)

It was 2am, January 5th, 2012. I was awoken by my dog, Penny whining and barking. I figured she had to go out as he was still a puppy and couldn't really hold it all night. I promptly got up and slipped on pants and a sweatshirt followed by some fuzzy slippers. We took a walk out of the back door and down the porch steps. The air shocked my lungs with the unforgiving pierce of cold so I was no longer feeling groggy nearly immediately. We were outside for about twenty minutes before she actually did anything and had ventured pretty far from the house. We eventually got to the edge of the neighborhood where the sidewalk runs parallel with a densely wooded area. 

She still hadn't gone number two so I decided we could take a little stroll in the woods after I found an opening between two stumps that seemed to designate a path. 

We spent another ten minutes or so traversing deeper into the woods. I looked back and saw we were pretty far off from the entrance which was also the only exit I knew. I decided it was time to head back home before getting lost. Just as I turned around I felt an especially cold breeze on my back, but this one I felt in my spine. It really didn't help my comfort that I heard the leaves rustling on the ground right behind me. I quickly turned and Penny had already started running full speed in the direction of this breeze. I was at a standstill and that caused me to trip over a rock and face-plant on the ground when the leash pulled taut. Now she was running off after the leash snapped.

"Damn dollar store leash," I thought to myself, wiping off the dirt and scrapes. 

Not only was I cold and wet from the moisture of the ground, but now my dog had run off too. I had no choice but to delve into the woods even deeper despite my discomfort with that idea. I checked my phone and it was 3:15am now. It was pitch black outside with only the moonlight through the leaves and whatever light I could produce from my quickly dying phone to assist me in my search. Shortly into my now aggravating adventure to find my dog I heard a loud whistling accompanied by a constant dinging. I glanced over and saw my dog just parked and stiff as one of the trees surrounding us. Her stare into the distance was just as eerie as the noises I heard after I called her name and she didn't move an inch. 

"Pen! Pen! C'mon!" Nothing. I had to go to her. 

She saw something that I didn't. Freaked out, but interested I slowly peeked around the tree we were near. I followed my Penny's line of sight. There was a non-distinct human figure no more than fifty feet away through fog swinging a pick-axe at what I assume was a rock, while whistling. As soon as I panicked and gasped he stopped swinging the axe, stopped whistling, and turned his head in my direction as fast as a bullet. I was frozen solid. 

It was only when he started walking over towards me with the pick scraping along the ground did I get my legs back. I picked up Penny and bolted in the direction I hoped was where I entered from. The fog was too thick this deep in the woods to truly know. I repeatedly looked back to see that his walk had progressed into a run. He was gaining ground on me fast too. I heard the pick scraping on the ground, the footsteps getting closer. I finally came to the edge of the woods and continued my sprint through. At that point I noticed the noises stopped, I looked behind me after a bit more distance and saw him standing there, shrouded by the fog but still in the woods, he wouldn't leave. After a few seconds he raised the pick with his arm extended and pointed it directly at me. I ran back home with Pen as fast as possible. 

As soon as I stepped in I made sure all the doors were locked and the alarm was set. I wound up moving the next year with my family from California to Vermont for my dads new job with some marketing agency. The new house was in a nice neighborhood that reminded me of my old house. I settled in easily although I missed my friends. The new house needed work so my dad would be outside working on it day in and day out for weeks after getting home from work, which exhausted him already. He spent a week digging up some bushes that were out in back to make room for a pool. There were also some rocks that needed removal, so he would axe at the roots of the bushes all night with his dull, crappy tools. After helping for a bit myself I got tired as well and headed in for some sleep.  Three hours later I woke up to him still chopping. I look over at my door and through the curtains I see his silhouette still going at it. "There's no way I'm going to be able to sleep with that noise," I thought. My dad would be too stubborn to listen to me so I decided to go upstairs and ask mom to get him to come inside. When I got to the room there were my mom and dad, sleeping quietly. I headed back down to my room, trembling. Flashbacks to last year came quickly after I still heard the "ting" from right outside my door. I looked again at the door. My dog had that same reaction he did a year ago in the woods. I watched the silhouette slowly turn towards me and lift the pick-axe to orient my direction.

I thought to myself... "He roams."

Reviews

[AprilRN1210]

this is a spooky treat just in time for halloween.. I was always scared when I would take my little brother's dog out at night, the little stinker liked to run off into the woods and always made me chase him.. heck I am barely bigger than he is and we would surely make a tasty snack for those critters you could hear but couldn't see.. that is what this reminded me of.. don't like being scared, or scary tales, but this one is so well written, you couldn't help but enjoy it.. nice to see you sir.. can't wait to read more:)

[Bill O. Writes]

Thanks for the review April! Always happy to hear you enjoyed. :)