One mile from where the pavement ends stands the old homestead where my scary tale begins.

There were three of us, my brother James, our friend Joe and myself spending the night in the old empty cabin where my grandfather and uncle had lived out their last days. The only light we had was a kerosene lamp because there was no electrical service. The little place wasn’t even wired for it. The night was nearly pitch dark except when the moon showed it’s light through an opening in the clouds every now and then.

 With the night being so dark and the shadows dancing around on the walls, it was the perfect setting for telling scary tales. Joe was really good at it and sometimes I honestly believe he scared even himself with some of his spooky tales.

  This time he was telling a tale about a man who had been robbed of all his money on payday after having cashed his paycheck. The thieves had left him lying in a pool of his own blood after shooting him several times just to make sure he was dead, but as they were leaving, they heard him say “I swear I’ll get you all where you  live.”

 The next morning one of the killers was found in his bed in a great pool of his own blood and didn’t have a wound of any kind on him.

 The second day, another one was found sitting slumped over on the toilet in his own bathroom, also with no wounds to be found, but the bathroom floor was literally covered with his blood.

 The third day the last of them was found  in his car in his own driveway. Again, no sign of any wounds or struggle could be found, but the man was sitting behind the wheel in a pool of his own blood.

 The man they had robbed and killed is said to have been found later where they had left him, but he had his own, and the wallets of the other three in his pockets.

 Right at the end of this gory tale there came a sound, “Hoooo.” It sounded like somebody hiding just outside the window and moaning like they were trying to scare us. It didn’t take much! I yelled “Who’s there?” but got no answer. James said “Aw, it’s probably Jr or Ray just tryin to scare us, why don’t we sneak out and catch em.”

 We eased out the door as quietly as we could and went very slow and quiet around to the back of the house where the sound seemed to come from only to find nobody there. “I guess whoever it was left when I hollered at em.” I said, and we started to head back in. That’s when we heard it again! “Hoooooooooo”  We were not slow nor quiet getting back inside!

 Once back inside, Joe, who hadn’t uttered a word since the end of his bloody tale and the first time we had heard that awful moaning noise, said “How bout Let’s get outta here and go up to the house.” James answered and said “What’s the matter Joe? You ain’t scared of a little noise are ya?” Just then we heard it again, “Hooooo.”

 I was looking out the window, but it was so dark I could hardly see anything. I could barely make out the big oak tree that stood a few yards from the cabin. Suddenly, when the clouds broke in the moonlight I saw two round, shiny objects way up in the branches of the tree. “Look guys!” I yelled. There’s somethin’ up in that tree.”

 Now we all three of us were looking out the window trying to see what it was, but it was suddenly dark again and there was nothing to see. James said “There ain’t nothin’ out there, quit messin round.”
 ”I ain’t messin with ya, there really is somthin in the tree.” I said “I saw it in the moonlight.”

 We all kept watching out the window, and as the clouds slowly moved away and we could finally see better, suddenly, “Hoooooo.” There it was again, then we all could see the two orbs I had seen  earlier. “There it is!” I said. “Looks like two big eyes lookin back at us.”

 Suddenly, while we watched, those two big eyes took wings and sailed out of the tree heading straight toward us then swerving away just before reaching the house!

    “Damn!” Said James, “We been sittin here scared outta our wits half the night by a damned OWL !”