Today's spooky story is an old favorite that I'm certain you've all heard in one form or another. I'm willing to bet you'll argue in comments about how the story REALLY goes. It's gone from campfire story to urban legend. I give you my own attempt at telling it:
The Legend of Green Eyes Bridge
I'm just winging it -- I don't care if you laugh at the added plot bits
In early fall of 1952 Henry Simpson and Maria Kennedy were driving home from a date. Some accounts of this story suggest they had been parking outside of town, but Maria's older brother, Archie, insisted Maria would never do such a thing. Let's suppose they were just going for a drive and listening to music...
Everyone in town knew that it was a bad idea to cross Green Eyes Bridge at night. There had been stories of gypsies and robbers on that road since the town was founded. More recently, there had been whispers of an ancient evil -- something dark and hungry -- that lurked around the forest near the bridge waiting to feed on the souls of the foolish and lost.
Henry noticed that he was low on gas and mentioned to Maria that they may have no choice but to take the short cut back into town over the bridge. Maria protested, but Henry pointed out to her that if they ran out of gas, they would be out all night together and most likely create a horrible scandal that would permanently tarnish her impeccable reputation and anger her alcoholic mother. After a short argument, Maria reluctantly agreed to the alternate course home.
Shortly after they began to cross the bridge, however, the car sputtered, stalled, and died. It seemed Henry had overestimated the fuel in his tank. They were indeed out of gas. He had no choice but to try to walk towards town to the nearest fuel station to retrieve gas to get them the rest of the way home. Maria, he insisted, should stay in the car with the doors locked and safely wait for his return. After all, a country road was no safe place for a young lady at night, and she didn't want to ruin her pretty shoes.
Maria was furious with him for putting them in this predicament, but she understood she had no choice but to let him go fetch the gas so they could get home. When he leaned in to kiss her goodbye, she turned a cold cheek to him. Henry planted a soft, apologetic kiss on her face and whispered, "Unlock the doors for no one. I have the key. Stay safe."
Then he was gone.
Maria checked and double checked the door locks. She made certain the windows were rolled up tight. She shivered and pulled her sweater tighter around her shoulders as she sank down low in her seat and tried not to study the darkness or listen to the sounds of the night. Henry would be back for her shortly, and her brother would let him have it when she arrived home late. That would be justice enough.
Soon, however, she was sound asleep. She was uncertain how much time had passed when she woke, and she was startled by some sound lost in her dreaming. The car still rocked from the impact of whatever had made the sound. Maria hoped it was the wind or perhaps a tree branch from overhead.
She blinked away her sleepiness and took in deep, cold breaths. Her heart raced, and her mind was chaos. The night seemed heavier and darker than before, and she felt as if she was being watched. Maria sunk down deeper in her seat.
Where was Henry? How long had he left her here? Surely he should have arranged for someone to drive him back to her to quicken his return. Why had she been left alone for so long?
Something suddenly slammed against the car, violently rocking it. Maria screamed, but quickly put her hands over her mouth as the car slowly stopped swaying from the impact.
The night was too quiet now. There were no sounds of crickets or tree frogs. There was no sound of a car engine coming to rescue her or the welcome whistling of an infuriating boyfriend coming back to get her. There was nothing but the darkness.
Then one sound penetrated the silence. A gentle scraping noise ran along the top of the car. Maria jumped and nearly screamed again. The noise stopped. She told herself it must have been a tree branch falling on the car. The branch was now beginning to slide off. Soon she would see it fall from the side of the car and be satisfied in the knowledge that it had most likely ruined Henry's paint job.
The branch never fell. After a few minutes, the scraping began again. Maria imagined a hook on a bloody stump. No! It was a branch - definitely a branch.
Her mind wandered as the night looked in on her all alone in the cold car. What if the legends were true? What if some foul thing was scratching at the car trying to get in at her? What if some highwayman's ghost was working away at the door with a hatchet hoping to get in to rob her or worse? At last she sunk down as low as she possibly could in her seat and closed her eyes.
SCRAPE
She willed it to go away. She imagined the sharp, rusty hook on the bloody stump again. Closing her eyes tighter, Maria clutched the little gold cross on the chain around her neck.
SCRRRRRRAPE
No. A tree branch would not slowly scrape back and forth like that. A tree branch would not taunt her. Why would a tree branch want to get into the car? She kissed the gold cross and cursed Henry.
SCRRRRRRAPE
The dark, scaly talon of some otherworldly beast might have been scratching away at the roof of the car, slowly making an opening through which it would rip her out. She imagined the wingspan of the monster and shuddered.
It... was... a... branch.
SCRRRRRRAPE
Branch.
SCRRRRRRAPE
The car suddenly rocked again as something yanked on the door handle. Maria screamed and curled into the floorboard. Something banged and banged on the window until it shattered all over the car. She could not breathe, could not think, could not hear. She curled into the smallest ball physically possible for a 16 year old girl and waited to die.
"Miss?" a man's voice shouted in at her, "Miss, are you alright?"
Maria did not move. She heard the sound of the car door opening and felt the rush of the cold night air fill the floor around her.
"Take my hand, miss," the voice insisted. Maria looked up into the face of a Sherriff's Deputy. He could not have been more than a few years older than her, and his eyes were kind. She took his offered hand.
As he helped her from the car he warned her, "Whatever you do, do not look back. Just look at the patrol car ahead and climb into the back seat. It's going to be alright, but do not look back."
Maria did as he asked. She let him lead her to the car, but as she was about to get in, curiosity got the best of her.
Maria did as he asked. She let him lead her to the car, but as she was about to get in, curiosity got the best of her.
"Miss, don't!" he insisted, but it was too late. Maria saw him.
Well, she saw what was left. Henry's torso hung from the branches in the trees above the car. His middle was ripped wide open and his stringy insides were splayed all over the roof. It didn't look real. It looked like a monster movie prop or a haunted house dummy.
SCRRRRRRAPE
His fingernails were scraping the top of the car each time the wind blew him back and forth in the branches. Maria felt her knees buckle and the world spun around her. The last thing she noticed before she lost consciousness was her little gold cross. It was in Henry's hand.
