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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AuthorKristen Puckett Archives
August 2018
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