This is a tale passed down through Kentucky families familiar with the Yahoo:
Long ago, before the Smoky Mountains were scouted by European pioneers, there was an explorer traversing the Appalachian mountains; he was mapping out the region, documenting local flora and fauna, as well as noting places best for future development. After several days, he came to a particularly rocky section of terrain. With a poor step, he tumbled down the mountainside and broke his leg. With several agonizing cries, the explorer pulled himself into a cave he had spotted near the base of the cliffside. To his relief, the cavern appeared to be uninhabited. Hoping for the best, he straightened his leg out, tore his overshirt into lengthy strips, and tightly wrapped them around a thick stick placed against the injury. The man tried to quiet and calm himself, but even the brush of wind against his leg elicited a shrill yelp of agony. After much time spent in excruciating pain- and after his adrenaline had depleted- he lost consciousness. A giant, black creature seemed to loom over him, prod his leg, and place a burning, slimy substance on it. The explorer wasn’t sure if it was a hallucination or a real monster. Unfortunately, the creature that had visited him was a bigfoot known as Yahoo; the female was lured to the cave by his howls. Each day, the creature would visit the man and put a gooey substance on his leg (likely a chewed up herb), and each week would leave a deer carcass by his side. The man was too weak to move or resist the creature’s prodding hands, flitting feverishly in and out of consciousness; the creature made advances on the man while he was in a delirious state, and became with child. In horror of the creature and realization of events that had taken place, he planned for escape- or at least a quick death. However, he greatly feared the Yahoo and remained still and quiet in its presence. The explorer’s health improved somewhat- though the meat gave him a stomachache- and he was able to sit up or hobble to and from the cave’s entrance, where he drank from a pool of rainwater. Once the pain mostly subsided, he leaned on a large stick and tried to make his way down the mountainside. With a frightening cry, the Yahoo appeared and grabbed the man roughly, throwing him back into the cave. Everytime the man tried to leave, the Yahoo brought him back. Many months later, the Yahoo continued to imprison the man, bringing him an assortment of food each week. The man’s mental state declined. During the cold season, the explorer used buck skins to stay warm and ate snow to stay hydrated. The Yahoo gave birth to a halfling, often seen hanging around its mother’s neck. The man’s leg had healed poorly and a bit crooked- pain sometimes shooting up his leg with a badly placed step. His dream of escape was waning, as every attempt was thwarted. One day, though, the creature appeared ill. Once it left the man and cave, he sprinted quickly down the mountain, ignoring the pain engulfing his bad limb, searching for the river he saw over a year ago. He was hoping to hide his scent and tracks in the swift waters, but to his great surprise he saw a boat. With tears in his eyes and words stuck in his throat, he yelled frantically and incoherently to the crew. Hoisting him up onto the ship, he collapsed in relief, crying and stammering. They feared he was insane and possibly dangerous, until they heard a spine-chilling howl: YAH-hoooo! The black creature stood on the bank, snarling, screeching, and shrieking. It threw rocks at the ship, chasing after it when it drifted farther down the river. With one last howl, it grasped the halfling child over its head and ripped it in two, throwing it against the boat’s side with a loud thud. The crew looked at the beast in fear and wonder, before returning their attention to the laughing, deranged man.
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The Red Oculus
Little Kanawha River Wanderlight As wanderlights are wont to do, Red Oculi have been mesmerizing their victims to step into a precarious situation since the early 19th century. Some of their earliest encounters were with men using the river to transport timber to the state’s interior during the late evening or at night by lamplight. As the logs were drifted down the river and fashioned into thick rafts, a distant, bright red glow caught a worker’s eye. The left to right and right to left arching sway of the Red Oculi was- and still is- hypnotizing. Each stretching about 10 feet after the other, the Red Oculi appear in curved lines of five. The orbs are about six inches wide and six inches tall, floating three feet off of the ground. When their viewers approach too close (3 feet away), the front-most wanderlight vanishes, seeming to appear at the line’s end. Once an individual’s attention is unquestionably acquired, a woman’s voice can be heard. It calls its follower by name, requesting it come nearer and nearer. Far away from people, familiarity, and other light (including that of the moon), the orbs that disappear with nearness do not return. One wanderlight, however, remains and continues to beckon. With a brief, bright flash, all evidence of the oculi and individual vanish to the paranormal plane. It is unknown whether the humans abducted ever return or for what purpose they were lured and taken. These events only occur at dusk or during the night. They are less common on nights with a full moon, but more common on new moon nights. Red Oculi can be found up and down the shores of the Little Kanawha River, though the best hunting spot is under the Pratt-Through truss bridge in Burnsville. For those searching for the ghostly lights, they appear more frequently to those easily entranced, unfamiliar with the area, and to the absentminded. The tracker can not be harmed as long as they have a newly found object in their pocket; as with other teleporting entities, freshly obtained trinkets ground an individual to this plane. These objects/trinkets must be human-made items that are given, found, or purchased no longer than three days past. Stallion of the Mist
R.D. Bailey Lake Kelpie (West Virginia) On the far side of the lake, a beautiful, white horse stands knee high, accentuated by bright green woodlands and rolling hills. But, there is something odd about the creature; upon closer inspection, it’s form seems to swirl in intricate patterns, its tail and mane wispy, in motion, even without wind. Pieces appear to break off, churn, and dissipate into nothingness, seemingly replaced on the body soon after. The creature surveys the lake and is well aware that it is not alone- but it does not care. The beast stomps a front hoof into the murky waters, snorts loudly. Mist emanates from the stallion’s splashes, coating the lake in a thin layer that grows thicker by the minute. The horse grows in size, but its swirling visage also takes on the quality of transparency. Thick, sticky, and a ghostly gray, the fog encompasses all; shrill neighs echo over the calm waters and permeate the hazy atmosphere. Hours after its initial appearance, the fog vanishes, and the kelpie does as well. Encounters with this creature are more likely on late autumn or early spring mornings with a clear forecast. It cannot be summoned, is not afraid of human activity, and is not harmful. Brushes with the Stallion of the Mist may bring about inconveniences; its presence lowers visibility and temperatures. Another entry in my bestiary; you can see more about the project here:www.kickstarter.com/projects/4… |
AuthorKristen Puckett Archives
August 2018
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