
Come, Follow
“Must you go out tonight?” Emma’s voice quivered with fear.
“You heard William. Delia’s in hard labor. She won’t make it till morning.”
“The fog’s thick as a bobcat’s fur. A man that gets lost in that won’t see morning, baby or no.”
“William knows his way home, Emma.”
“His homestead’s on the other side of Dead Man’s Swamp.” She grabbed his coattails. “Please Harper, don’t go. Not tonight!”
“William will lead the way with a lantern. Don’t worry, woman!”
Harper stepped out into a pit of blackness. He’d never seen fog like this, especially so late in October. He held out his hand but saw only a grey shadow. Five fingers, three, then none as his hand was swallowed up by the fog. Never mind. His property was surrounded by a fence that led to the edge of the swamp, where William would be waiting with his guiding light. Harper put his left hand on the wooden railing. His right hand held a stout cudgel that tested each step – solid or quagmire. He moved slowly, carefully, not even daring to let go of the wood, simply sliding his hand forward. When he reached the end, he looked around for William.
There – the lantern! Harper breathed a sigh of relief. The light flickered, disappeared, then reappeared a bit further on. William was understandably in a hurry. Harper was just a few steps behind, following him. “William!” He called out, but there was no answer. No doubt William was too preoccupied for idle chatter.
Just follow the light. One step, solid. Watch the light. Next step, solid. Watch the light, veering a bit to the right. Probably a shortcut. Another step, solid. The light flared with a greenish glow. What kind of lantern glowed green? Just as Harper leaned into the next step, he remembered the legends of the will-o-the-wisp – green flickering lights luring travelers into the bog. He lurched backwards, but it was too late. He began sinking into the eerie mire, surrounded now with pale green flames.
“Doc?” William called to him from solid ground, far far away.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleAh, great story, Fuji, a riveting read. Very nicely done.
Thanks, Carrie. I must admit I shivered a bit, just writing it. I have a horror of bogs/mires/quicksand type of places. Give me solid ground!
Hello, Fuji. I really enjoyed reading your story. I also feel the fear as if I am also traveling in the middle of the dark alone. And thanks for the new word “will-o-the-wisp.” Nicely done, Fuji.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleIsn’t “will-o-the-wisp” a great word? I’m so glad you enjoyed the story. I would never go anywhere near a swamp! ?
Yes, it was a great word but creepy. Me too, I wouldn’t go near a swamp.
Ooooh, I was all a shiver from the scary picture onwards! I held my breath reading “Come, Follow.” Well done, Fuji!
Now, I feel that I must look under the bed and in cupboards before retiring for the night! Great atmospheric writing.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleI loved your comment, Margarida! Don’t worry about your bed or cupboards — unless you live close to a bog, or course!! ?
“The fog’s thick as a bobcat’s fur” is such a great line. I love the imagery here. I also read your comment below about the quicksand and swamps… I have a fear of them as well! This is a great and spooky story!
Thanks so much, Melissa. I do research for every story I write, so I wanted an expression that would be natural to those who lived near a bog. Seems that bobcats are found in places with bogs, so I made up that expression, “The fog’s thick as a bobcat’s fur”. Glad you liked it!
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GooglePoor Emma! Her husband didn’t listen to her intuition and therefore she lost him to the swamp. A very visual and well-made story, Fuji. As always, reading your texts, I learned something new. I now know that will-of-the-wisp is an interesting, old phenomenon around swamps, also possible to be used in a metaphorical sense. Thank you!
Hi Christer. Yes, will-o-the-wisp is a fascinating phenomenon. As you said, it could be physical, found in nature or could be used as a metaphor. Or both. We love objects that can straddle both realities, don’t we?
It’s really creepy, causing an unpleasant feeling of fear. Bravo, Fuji.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleThanks, Dipayan, for reading and commenting!
I guess because poor Harper thought the pixie-light was William’s, he didn’t think to turn his coat inside out or to stick his knife in the ground blade up…
I love your story, Fuji, and the feeling of suffocating through the thick fog was so real that I had to grab my inhaler! ?
Wo-ho, have I missed something? You seem to know some incredible charms. What’s this about turning his coat inside out or sticking his knife in the ground blade up? Very, very interesting. Tell me more!!
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleWeeelll… I shouldn’t have revealed any of the counter spells outside of my coven! ?
Humanity’s fascination with the focus fatuus is a long one and I guess the remedies to fight what people saw as an unexplained phenomenon vary from different cultures over the centuries. I remember my grams telling me about those. But that’s another story… ?
Great story, Fuji. I didn’t know the legend.