Post by maximumoverdrive on Jun 24, 2021 1:04:03 GMT -5
The Phantom Shack
Deep in the woods near a town called Toad Hop, there is a lonely shack, with an ancient sign upon the door. The sign is a symbol, carved or scratched into the strange dark wood of which the shack is built; a symbol of some long forgotten and eldritch origin, it's meaning lost to modern humanity. The wood of which the shack is made is impossible to identify as well, being ancient, gnarled and seeming not to correspond to any known species of tree in that forest. Perhaps this strangeness is due to the ever present congregation of fungi that grow around the shack, immense fruiting bodies of various shapes and types, sometimes taking on the appearance of heads, as of animals or men, with expressions of sorrow, terror, or madness, suggested in the lumps and folds of fungal flesh. Perhaps the sight of such strange mushrooms accounts for the many tales of strange creatures being discovered in the vicinity of the shack. Although, the descriptions of these shambling, muttering, gesticulating beings, which will sometimes follow escapees through the woods, suggests other explanations are needed.
Those who seek the shack on purpose, if there are such fools, may not have an easy time of it. The way to the shack seems to change with each story that is told, as if something were hiding the path. One wonders whether there is some guardian angel that protects people from discovering that haunted place once they have escaped, or if the strange denizens of the shack alter the terrain to discourage unwanted visitors. Either way, there are those who stumble upon the shack through misfortune or unwariness. Those who turn their backs to it and leave that place with all haste are the ones with stories to tell. Those who cannot resist the lure of the door, and venture inside, are never seen again. Whatever the shack takes into itself, it never releases back into the world.
Some stories told by lucky escapees speak of a steep, stony ravine, or gulch, with a winding path at the bottom, full of switchbacks and sudden turns, that opens onto a small clearing in an otherwise overgrown and oppressive area of the woods. Other tales say that there is no path at all, and that the shack moves from one small clearing to another, stalking any hapless human who strays into it's territory. There is much disagreement between the tellers of these tales regarding the method by which the shack supposedly moves from place to place, although many have claimed that the fungi in the area have some mysterious part in that transportation. Some have even reported seeing only parts of the humble edifice, standing alone in the woods, or popping up out of the ground and unfolding into the full shape of the shack. The door with the engraved symbol is a particular focus in these reported phantasms. It is one of several items that most of the stories seem to hold in common, along with a green phosphorescence, and the strange creatures that roam the area, and sometimes follow people home.
Deep in the woods near a town called Toad Hop, there is a lonely shack, with an ancient sign upon the door. The sign is a symbol, carved or scratched into the strange dark wood of which the shack is built; a symbol of some long forgotten and eldritch origin, it's meaning lost to modern humanity. The wood of which the shack is made is impossible to identify as well, being ancient, gnarled and seeming not to correspond to any known species of tree in that forest. Perhaps this strangeness is due to the ever present congregation of fungi that grow around the shack, immense fruiting bodies of various shapes and types, sometimes taking on the appearance of heads, as of animals or men, with expressions of sorrow, terror, or madness, suggested in the lumps and folds of fungal flesh. Perhaps the sight of such strange mushrooms accounts for the many tales of strange creatures being discovered in the vicinity of the shack. Although, the descriptions of these shambling, muttering, gesticulating beings, which will sometimes follow escapees through the woods, suggests other explanations are needed.
Those who seek the shack on purpose, if there are such fools, may not have an easy time of it. The way to the shack seems to change with each story that is told, as if something were hiding the path. One wonders whether there is some guardian angel that protects people from discovering that haunted place once they have escaped, or if the strange denizens of the shack alter the terrain to discourage unwanted visitors. Either way, there are those who stumble upon the shack through misfortune or unwariness. Those who turn their backs to it and leave that place with all haste are the ones with stories to tell. Those who cannot resist the lure of the door, and venture inside, are never seen again. Whatever the shack takes into itself, it never releases back into the world.
Some stories told by lucky escapees speak of a steep, stony ravine, or gulch, with a winding path at the bottom, full of switchbacks and sudden turns, that opens onto a small clearing in an otherwise overgrown and oppressive area of the woods. Other tales say that there is no path at all, and that the shack moves from one small clearing to another, stalking any hapless human who strays into it's territory. There is much disagreement between the tellers of these tales regarding the method by which the shack supposedly moves from place to place, although many have claimed that the fungi in the area have some mysterious part in that transportation. Some have even reported seeing only parts of the humble edifice, standing alone in the woods, or popping up out of the ground and unfolding into the full shape of the shack. The door with the engraved symbol is a particular focus in these reported phantasms. It is one of several items that most of the stories seem to hold in common, along with a green phosphorescence, and the strange creatures that roam the area, and sometimes follow people home.