The crazy old woman on Bloody Creek Road

 

the boys were told

that the old lady who lived

at the end of Bloody Creek Road

was either evil or insane.

 

some of the boys said that she

stole children and cooked them in her

oven for her supper

others said she ate snakes

while they were still alive

 

one day they decided to

find out for themselves

they waded the red water creek

to stay hidden from her view

 

the creek ran behind her shabby cottage

as they neared they saw ragged curtains

hanging from her windows

moss grew up the sides of the house

spider webs covered the back porch

a peculiar smell of something rotten

came from beneath the back porch.

 

they crawled on their bellies from

the creek to get near the cottage

suddenly the back screen door flew open

and black crows flew out from the

inside of her cottage then the door slammed shut

 

the crows spotted them in the grass

and swooped down and flew in a circle

over them squawking loudly

they froze in place until

the crows flew away

 

the old lady threw open the door to see

why the crows were making such a noise

she did not see them hiding in the deep grass

the boys were frightened out of their wits

 

she went back into the cottage

then returned with a shotgun

and fired it into the air

Then a big ugly grin crossed her

wrinkled face as she said something

that the boys could not hear

 

in a few minutes the boys heard

the sounds of a child crying

softly at first, the sounds became a scream

a blood-curdling scream that sent cold

chills down their spines

 

the crying started repeating itself

then stopped abruptly

the screen door opened again and she

threw something into the air

and it smashed into the grass near them

 

they crawled over to see what it was

it was an old record from her Victrola

the label said “child’s crying and screaming”

the boys were relieved to know that they

had not heard a child being tortured before

being cooked for supper

 

they slipped back through the tall grass

to Bloody Creek and ran splashing through

the water as fast as their legs would carry them.

 

the flock of crows flew over them again

squawking loudly warning them to

never return

 

they did not