The Legend of the Black Forest

At first, I did not believe it. The legends of the Black Forest just seemed like a story used to frighten the local folks. The legend stated that little dwarf type people lived in the forest and killed all those who trespassed into their home. There have been people known to go missing in the forest, for the Black forest is like a giant maze entangled with fog filled trees and brush. A maze that goes on for miles and miles, it is simple to get lost, maps or compasses for some strange reason do not work and will not help you at all if you do get lost. Those who enter the forest will never have a chance of getting out. At least that's how the legend goes, and that is why I believed these strange people were simply imaginary. Last Halloween, I found out that I was wrong.

My name is Blake Evans. Last Halloween, my friends and I took our yearly trip to go camping by, (not in), the Black Forest. It was our little tradition that we all started back in High School. So there we were: Jack, Matt, Carley, Madison and me, making our way down to our favorite spot. We got there at about sunset, and began to unpack. After our dinner, which was a feast of hot dogs and potato chips, I began to share an old ghost story around the blazing camp fire about the legend of an old woman who once lived in the Black Forest hundreds of years ago, she who still walks the forest as a ghost at night looks for visitors that may have entered the dark cold dense woods. A few moments after my first breath of telling this story we all started to hear whispering echoes of voices coming from the darkness of the trees that were surrounding us only a few yards away from our camp fire. The voices coming from the forest were hard to ignore for they seemed to be getting closer and louder. All of our minds were racing to see who was going to be the bravest to get up and investigate the surrounding area. Jack jumped up with his flashlight in hand and started towards the Black Forest. I grabbed my flashlight also and told Jack to wait up for me. We gradually walked into the dark foggy area of the trees as the voices stopped dead when we approached. That was super strange said Jack! Just for a little extra safety precaution Jack and I turned on our flashlights so we could try and see something.

Walking slowly, our footsteps crackling and breaking small twigs, we made our way into the forest. We tried to look brave even though we both had cold chills going down the center of our spines. I began to goof around with Jack by saying "look out" someone is standing next to you! I was just trying to break the ice as I did not really believe in any of this ghost nonsense. Jack was not amused with my joking around. We both could here the girls and Matt back at camp giggling at us while Jack and I searched in the cold darkness. After a little while of looking into the forest with my light, I was getting the creeps from looking at the woods that were very terrifying, I felt a presence of evil. The trees were a shade of black and looked dead; on top of that they were all gnarled and twisted in shape. They were also huge in height and width and only got bigger as we went deeper into the forest. It was very scary; I still had seen nothing and was feeling a bit more confident. Looking back now, Jack and I should have taken more precautions with every couple of steps we made.

I wish we could have kept our camp in sight at all times, because after a while, we did not hear Matt, Carley or Madison. "Hey Jack, I can't see the fire anymore." I announced. We stopped and turned around. Neither of us could! "This just great." I replied. Jack decided that we would walk back the same way we came. I think after about Twenty minutes later, "We still don't see the fire! I felt like we had been walking in circles, we both began to get worried, we are still trying to find our way back, but still no luck, we both begin to yell out for the others and received no response back. Our voices did not seem to echo thru the trees, it was like something was blocking us from being heard. This was really getting us both freaked out!

On and on we kept walking hoping to find the fire. I was worried that someone was following us. Then, as soon as I was thinking about the worst a sudden crash in the forest startled us making the trees and bushes move. "Was that the wind?" I asked Jack, but I knew it was not the wind, I felt no breeze against the cold skin on my face. "Or maybe it was some animals." I quickly added. "Maybe!" Jack replied. He believed in the legend and that was making things worse. Up ahead in the fog what is that I said to Jack? I could see blurry shadows of black figures roaming in the distance. The shadows were walking aimlessly through the forest. "Shh! don't move or speak." whispered Jack." The sound of eerie voice began to echo again, I sat down on the forest floor accidentally snapping a branch on the ground. At that very moment the shadow figures in the distance stopped moving and what happened next was unforgettable. Orange glowing eyes could be seen on the ghostly shadows now look in our direction. There was more than one pair of them it was really hard to tell how many. Jack, who was freaked out since we had lost the fire, got even more scared and quickly started to shake in fear. I kept insisting to jack that those were only animals, but now even I was unsure what they could be. They keep moving closer towards us said Jack.

We both agreed we should keep moving; the sound of the voices seemed to be following us every step of the way. I thought the worst was about to happen so we both began to run away as fast as we could. Our running footsteps made whatever we saw fade back into the darkness. As we slowed back down to catch our breaths we both were trembling in fear. As I tried to pull myself together, I could swear that I was smelling smoke from a camp fire! "What is it Jack said?" "Hey shine your light over there I replied." It can't be; we were standing in the middle of our camp. The camp fire was smoldering smoke as if it was put out with water. The surroundings area and camping gear had been tossed all over the place. Matt, Carley and Madison were nowhere to be found. "There it is again! It definitely was no animal." That echoing sound of voices had surrounded us again. I could see orange glowing eyes in the distance. "What the hell is it?" yelled Jack! "I, I, I don't know what it is! I could barley breath from my fear! I could see these things could run on two legs." I whispered, shaking. We are going to die! Then it began, harsh wicked chuckling was circling around us. That's when I saw a glimpse of one of them in full detail. It was bare naked with grey skin filled with black veins. It seemed like a five year old child until is starred at me with its large orange eyes with no lids. They were keeping some distance between us for some reason. "Show yourself." I said. The laughter kept on, a bush shook and the footsteps stopped. Jack threw a rock at the bush. The laughter immediately stopped, Jack looked happy with himself. The same rock was thrown back at him, nailing him in the chest, winding him. As he stumbled to the ground terrified, I turned to observe the bush. The laughter started again, only more hysterical. It got louder! They were definitely toying with us! Slowly I turned to check on Jack, "Where did he go?"

I am beyond terrified at this point. Jack had disappeared with not a trace! He vanished into thin air. "What do you want from me I screamed"? A highly pitched harsh voice spoke in an almost impossible to understand language. Where is he?" I said" Where's Jack and all my other friends! The sounds of voices had disappeared once again into the Black Forest. I began running out of the camp as fast as I could; the trees became more spread out as I made my way back to my truck. I got away from that spot quickly. When I reached my truck I stopped to catch my breath, I assumed that I was safe from whatever it was that I just experienced. Behind me waited an old smelly decaying woman! She showed up, the ghostly legend of the Black Forest.

This morbid ghost had the heads of all my friends Jack, Matt, Carley and Madison" in her arms, I began to cry from all the pain this forest had haunted me with.

Then the nasty mortified ghost tried speaking to me, telling me that her children found all these heads while playing in the forest. They told me that they wanted to play with you also, but you ran away from them. Suddenly I hear an earsplitting scream from the wicked ghost. In the distance; I take noticed to footsteps and glowing eyes beginning to arrive! The children are coming out of the Black Forest this time for you. 'No one escapes the Black Forest!" As soon as I realized that, I jumped into my truck and tried to start the engine. The insane looking black shadows started scratching at the windows leaving bloody smears all over the glass. Something on my right side was lighting the night sky, it was the sun rise!" The fog and night began to fade away as day light filled that night. A faint glare in my rearview mirror showed the ghost and the children as they dissipated back into the darkness of the woods.

I did not stop driving until I was far from the forest. I turned my head around to see if anything followed me, nothing but the Legend of the Black Forest was back there. Little did I know it was real!