Tales from da Swamp Part 1

Tales from da Swamp

A series of short stories and first-hand recollections of hair-raising moments from da Swamp.

Part 1 -  Just some sticks.

Just some sticks

For those of you that have hunted before I am sure you have walked in the woods at night, alone in the dark. Have you ever walked through the swamp, at 4 AM, the morning after watching Blair Witch Project? The only part I found scary was the ending until I woke up the next morning to go duck hunting in the Atchafalaya Basin.

Alone with my yellow lab Buddy, I made the walk down the ½ mile trail I had made many times before. This time was different, my head lamp seemed to be fading in and out, catching the shadows of the branches as I walked. The branches! Stick figures that haunted the characters from the film are now coming in and out of focus.

This can’t be I thought to myself, it’s just a movie. I push on. Feeling the hair raise on the back of my neck, the glare from my now fading light intensify my thoughts. Thoughts of those stick figures hanging from the branches of the cypress trees.  Never been more scared to walk through gator invested water than this night, so I had to do it.

Loaded my shotgun. Just in case.

 Old Buddy, he wasn’t scared he walked and sniffed around in the dark just like any other day. Turns out it was just another day in da Swamp.