Chapter Twelve

The Tall Man

The following is an excerpt from Chapter Twelve of Mama Root: The Old Woman of Loop Road

 

 

~~~     “Anyhow, them men all dozed off an’ left one of ‘em ta’ stand watch.  Not but ‘bout three hours later they’re all woke up by the man who’s left ta’ stand guard.  He’s screamin’ bloody murder an’ firin’ his gun at a whole lotta’ nothin’ out in the swamp.  They all ask him what happen an’ he swears that he’s seen the Tall Man – esti capcaki – wadin’ through the water, not twenty yards from where they are.  Other men say he’s touched, but one by one they start seein’ it too, an’ hearin’ it stompin’ ‘round out in the water.  No time at all they’re all blazin’ away at anything that so much as twitches anywhere ‘round ‘em.  They finally stop shootin’ ta’ let the smoke clear an’ give a listen.  They’re all standin’ helter-skelter there on that little patch o’ land, ‘stead o’ in an outward facin’ circle so’s they could watch each other’s back.  Mil’tary style wasn’t ‘xactly their strong suit, ‘specially at a time like this.”

            “Well, there’s no such thing as skunk apes”, Vicki asserted.  “Did they really see something out there?”

            “Well, they was startin’ ta’ wonder the same thing.  They got their answer real quick though.  The men decided that they was shootin’ at shadows, so they holstered their guns.  One young fella’ had just turned his back on the swamp an’ started ta’ walk away, when all sudden-like behind him the water goes shootin’ up in the air an’ somethin’ comes leapin’ outta’ the swamp, howlin’ an’ a-growlin’ like nothin’ on this earth.”

            Vicki beamed a  smile and looked at Mama Root, eyebrows raised and hands on her hips in a mock display of displeasure.  “Now, Mama, are you funnin’ with me?  You’re tellin’ me that a monster ate those soldiers?”

            “I swear by the moon an’ stars child, this is how it happened” the old woman insisted.  “This thing looked like somethin’ that Hell itself wouldn’t have.  It stood better than nine foot tall an’ was covered with grey-green hair that was all matted up.  Its eyes was yella’ with black middles an’ it had claws that’d put those of a bear ta’ shame.  It had a face that looked like it was made o’ tree bark, made even more horrifyin’ when it showed the mouthful o’ fearsome teeth it had.  If this weren’t all bad ‘nuff, that thing smelled even worse than it looked, if that was possible.  This thing smelled o’ the brimstone o’ Hades, like somethin’ long dead that was belched up outta’ the belly o’ the swamp.” ~~~