The Old Man in the Woods:
A story inspired by my own uncle
Middle Grade: Written Fall 2007
The light glowed on Uncle Charles’ face. He stood at the center of the room, holding a flashlight in his hand like a microphone. He grinned as he came to the end of his story. “And that is how Chase, Anya, David, and Ellie escaped the Old Man in the woods. And In time, Chase recovered from his lunacy and could once again say other phrases besides just ‘peanut butter and jelly’. But forever after, he had a craving for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but he could not eat them, for he was deathly allergic to peanut butter.”
Ellie smiled and could not help but laugh. Her uncle’s story had been ridiculous. An Old Man in the woods who kidnapped lost children and made them eat candy and play with toys all day long? How horrible could that be? She glanced at her cousin, Anya, sitting next to her in the bed. The small bedside lamp illuminated her face. Anya was trying to stifle a laugh.
“And that is why, children, when out in the forest, you must watch out for the Old Man in the Woods.” Uncle Charles now shined it towards the boys who sat on the other bed. He shined it first into Chase’s face and then into David’s.
David covered his eyes. “Uncle Charles, I remember your stories being a lot better than that,” he said.
“I thought it was good,” Ellie said. “Maybe silly, but good.”
“Yeah, well your still a little a girl,” David answered.
“I’m not!” Ellie said. Why did he always have to tease her?
“Ellie, it’s all right to still be a little girl,” Uncle Charles said.
Ellie looked up at him. He was not helping. “Don’t encourage him!”
Uncle Charles stepped to the door and flipped the light switch on. Light flooded the room, blinding Ellie for a moment. She squinted her eyes shut.
“You’re only little once. And then forever after, you are old. Don’t grow up too quick, Ellie.”
Ellie peeked open her eyes. Uncle Charles was smiling at her. He still acted very much like a boy, yet he was older than her father. He liked nothing better than to make up stories to tell them.
“Uncle Charles, did you ever grow up?” David asked.
“Dad, grow up? Are you kidding?” Anya giggled.
“He’s the biggest kid in this house,” Chase said.
Ellie smiled, looking from Anya to Chase. The two had not seemed to change much since they had last seen each other three years before. That’s when they had moved here. Ellie had missed Anya a lot. They had done everything together as kids. Chase and David had been the same way. However, where Ellie and David had begun to move on from their childhood games, Chase and Anya both seemed to hold on to them. Ellie found herself wanting to join in, but, at the same time, she did not want to hear her brother’s teasing.
“One has to grow up sometime.” David stood up off the bed. “I’m going to bed.” He stepped pass his uncle and opened the door.
Uncle Charles followed him out the door, singing. “I won’t grow up!”
“I won’t grow up!” Anya and Chase called after him.
Uncle Charles turned back around and winked at them as he shut the door.
Anya and Chase began laughing as soon as the door shut.
“Your dad is silly!” Ellie said.
“No, he’s awesome,” Chase replied. “We have the funnest times.” Chase stood up. “I think I will go to bed, now, too. We’ve got an exciting day tomorrow.” He crossed to the door.
“What are we doing?” Ellie asked.
“It’s a secret.” Chase winked at her and looked a lot like his father as he did so. He opened the door and went out, shutting the door behind him.
Ellie looked at Anya who lay backwards on the bed and was doing her best not to fall asleep. “What’s the secret?” Ellie asked.
“Tomorrow, I’m too tired tonight.”
Ellie leaned over and began to tickle her. Anya laughed and grabbed her pillow. She hit Ellie on the head.
“Hey!” Ellie ducked and rolled off the bed.
Anya crawled under the covers and disappeared under the blanket.
“Please Anya, tell me!”
Anya lifted the blanket so that only her eyes appeared. “The faster you get to bed, the sooner tomorrow will come!”
Ellie sat on the floor for a moment, not quite convinced. She then ran to turn off the light and then jumped into the other bed.
Anya reached to turn off the lamp. The room became dark in an instant.
Ellie lay for a few minutes in bed, still wide awake. Even a full day of traveling had not worn her out. What was the secret?
“Ellie?”
“Yeah?”
“Did you bring Scooter and Jelly?”
Ellie thought of her stuffed cat and rabbit sitting on her bed at home where she had left them. David had teased her when he had seen her put them into her bag. “No…I didn’t have enough room.”
“Oh…we’ll fix that tomorrow.” Anya’s voice was soft and airy. She was almost asleep.
“How do we do that?”
But Anya did not answer. At least, Ellie did not hear her answer.
Ellie woke with a start, rubbing her eyes. What was that sound? She looked around and saw the clock. 8:00. She hit the snooze button and the sound ceased. She fell backwards on the bed, closing her eyes. Wait, where was she at?
Her eyes snapped back open and she sat up quickly. Her eyes fell on Anya’s bed. There was no one there. The bed was already made. It took her a moment, and then she remembered. She was at her cousins’ house.
And last night they had promised to tell her the secret! She swung her legs over the side of the bed and hurried to get dressed. She ran to the door and began to open it, but paused. There was a folded note taped to the door. She grabbed it and opened it quickly. Chase had typed hera note:
Good Morning!
Anya and I are waiting for you to tell you the secret!
But you have to follow these directions:
Go to the front door and outside.
Take the steps down to the pond and
follow it around to the left.
Keep walking until you find a red ribbon tied to a bush.
Part the bushes, and go through.
Walk through the tall reeds until you come to the forest.
In the forest you will come to a path.
Walk along this path, and at the blue ribbon, turn to your right,
Walk through the forest; you will come to a meadow.
Cross the meadow until you come to a Weeping Willow.
There you will find us!
Here the secret shall be known.
Ellie frowned. They had made a game out of the secret. It was just like them.
She turned from the door, looking for her sneakers. Finding them, she quickly pulled them on. She then hurried out of the room and down the stairs. She paused at the bottom. Hearing the television, she found her way into the living room. Her brother was sitting on a couch with his legs out on the foot rest. He held channel changer in hand. His gaze was fixed to the television.
“Where are Anya and Chase?” Ellie asked.
“Did you get a note?” David asked. He did not look away from the television.
“Yeah.”
“I guess that’s where they are.”
Anya frowned. “Are you coming?”
“Nah. You go ahead”
Ellie rocked on her feet. She didn’t want to go alone. “Can’t you come with?”
“Are you scared?” David looked up, smirking. “Afraid you’re going to run into the Old Man in the woods?” He laughed, looking back at the television.
“That’s just a story.”
“You’re such a little girl.”
“No I’m not.” She turned around and walked through the kitchen. She would show him. She could do this on her own. It was kind of like an adventure.
Turning into another hall, she arrived at the front door. She opened it quickly. A cool breeze hit her face as she looked at the surrounding scenery.
The house had been built on the side of a hill, which overlooked a pond. Beyond the pond, there was a large meadow surrounded by forest.
To her right, a set of stairs led down the hill, ending a few feet away from the pond. Ellie glanced over the note from Chase. She looked up again, shivering. “Old Man in the woods,” she muttered. What if he was there? They wouldn’t send her out into the forest by herself if there was one. Of course, David was supposed to come with, and he was sitting in the house watching television. But Uncle Charles’ stories were always just made up.
She pushed the thought of the Old Man from her mind and hurried down the stairs. The pond drew closer and closer and then she was on the path that led around the pond, passing by a lot of overgrowth to her left and a moss covered pond to her right.
She began to run around the pond and soon saw a red ribbon tied to a bush. She pushed aside the branches and stepped through. The ground dropped on the other side, and, instead of bushes, she discovered tall blades of grass. She lowered herself slowly, setting her feet onto the ground. Her sneakers sunk slightly into the muddy earth.
“Gross!” She lifted her feet several times. What if she sunk into the mud and could not get out? She stepped forward and her foot sank further into the ground. She took another step forward and sunk even further into the mud. Panic filled her. She was sinking!
The edge of the forest was a foot in front of her. She jerked her first foot forward, leaving her sneaker in the mud. Her foot landed on solid ground. She quickly pulled her other foot from the mud, managing to keep her sneaker on her foot. Kneeling on the ground, she supported herself with one hand and reached to pull her sneaker from the mud before it sank further in. Her hand grabbed the shoe laces. She jerked backwards. The shoe flew from the mud, hitting her in the face.
“Owww,” Ellie rubbed her jaw. “Those were my good sneakers too!” Ellie frowned. Why hadn’t they warned her about the mud? She did her best to wipe the mud off of her shoes and pulled the loose shoe back on. Getting to her feet again, she entered the forest. Just within it, she came to a path. She could either go straight or turn right. Which way was she supposed to go?
This was almost way much work to find out about a little secret.
Since the note said nothing of turning, she continued straight.
Something rustled in the forest behind her. She turned around, but saw nothing. “Chase? Anya? Are you there?” she called.
There came no answer.
Ellie shivered. She turned and hurried forward again. Where was the blue ribbon? Maybe she had gone the wrong way. If she didn’t find it soon, she would turn around and try the other path.
Once again, she heard something rustle in the forest, like someone walking. Leaves and twigs were being crushed.
She stopped. “Hello? Is someone there?”
No answer came.
She looked deep into the forest. Maybe I should go home? “It’s just a squirrel,” she told herself in an effort to stem her fears. As if to confirm her conclusion, a squirrel appeared out of nearby bushes. It scurried on the ground, leaping and jumping in various directions. It finally jumped onto a tree and scampered up the trunk, disappearing into the branches above.
Ellie watched it. A smile spread across her face as she watched its antics. She had always liked squirrels. This one gave her quite a show.
She continued down the path, looking for the ribbon. She did not see it. Maybe she had gone the wrong way? Ellie came to a stop, wondering if she should try the other path. For the third time she thought she heard something. This time it was behind her. She turned around quickly. “Hello?”
The air was unusually still around her. Was there someone following her?
“Hello?”
No answer came.
What if there really was an Old Man in the Woods? What if her uncle’s stories were true? She shivered and turned around.
Her body stiffened. Not more than fifty yards down the path stood an old man. He was stooped over and wore a wide brimmed hat. He carried a long staff. Though his face was pointed towards the ground, his eyes looked up straight at Ellie.
He looked exactly like she had imagined the Old Man in Uncle Charles’ story.
But it couldn’t possibly be the same person. Could he?
He began walking towards her. “Little girl, are you lost in the woods? I can take you home.”
Ellie swallowed, her eyes widening. He had said that in the story too. Right before he had kidnapped them. An endless life of toys and candy did not sound so ridiculous now. It actually sounded quite scary.
She turned around and began to walk back down the path. She was just imagining things. Her walk became a sprint.
The old man appeared, materializing in front of her. She stopped and screamed. The momentum of her upper body almost caused her to topple over. “Go away!”
“Little girl, lost in the woods. I can take you home.” He began to walk quickly towards her.
Ellie fled into the woods. Where were her cousins? “Anya! Chase! Anya!”
Realizing she had lost herself in the woods, Ellie glanced behind her. The Old Man had disappeared. Where had he gone?
Looking forward again, she saw someone walk out from behind a tree straight into her path. It was too late to stop. With full force, she ran into him, and they toppled to the ground.
“Ahhhh!” Ellie screamed. Ellie found her footing again and backed away. But it was not the Old Man.
It was Chase!
“Chase!” Ellie stepped towards him. “Are you okay?” He had bashed his head on a log. That’s how he had gone crazy in Uncle Charles’ story. But, he would be okay now, right?
He looked up at her and got to his feet. A goofy smile came across his face. His eyes had a vacant look to them. “Peanut butter and jelly.”
“Nooo!” Ellie backed away from Chase. He was crazy…just like in the story.
“Ellie! Ellie!”
Ellie turned. Anya was leaping towards her in the forest.
“Anya!”
“Ellie! There you are!” She arrived, gasping for breath. “Chase…forgot…to…”
“We have to get out of here!” Ellie said.
“What?”
“Peanut butter and jelly,” Chase repeated.
Anya looked at her brother. “Chase? What…”
“Little girls, little girls, I will take you home!”
The two girls jumped. The old man stood ten feet away. He grinned at them.
“What’s going on? Where’s David? He’s not with you?” Anya said.
“No. He didn’t want to come.”
“Oh. This way, Ellie.” Anya grabbed her brother’s wrist and began to run, pulling Chase behind her. Ellie followed.
“Peanut butter and jelly.”
Ellie placed her hands over her ears and screamed. Quit saying that!
They arrived at a path and turned left. Soon they came to a bush with a blue ribbon tied to it. Anya delved off the path again and Ellie followed. A few yards ahead she saw that the forest ended and a meadow began.
“Make it to the clearing!” Anya called.
A hand wrapped around Ellie’s elbow from behind and pulled her back. She lost her footing and pitched to the ground, causing the hand to release her. She turned around, scooting backwards. The old man smiled at her. Malice glinted in his eyes.
“Little girls shouldn’t be in the forest by themselves.” The Old Man reached to grab her leg.
“I am not a little girl!” She quickly rolled over, out of reach of his hand, and jumped to her feet, She darted forward again. Anya was no longer in front of her.
“Little girl, little girl! Please come home with me!”
Ellie did not turn to look. The Old Man was really close. His footsteps were heavy. His breathing was staggered. But the clearing was so close.
With one final burst of speed, she reached the edge of the forest and ran out into the meadow. Anya was running back to meet her. Anya grabbed onto Ellie’s arm and pulled her to a stop.
“What are you doing?” Ellie said.
“He can’t come out of the forest, right?” Anya was pale and did not sound sure of herself. “That’s part of my father’s story, right?”
Ellie turned to look at the forest. The Old Man had indeed stopped at the edge of the forest. From there, he watched the two girls.
“Is there any other way back to your home?” Ellie whispered. The Old man blocked the way they had come.
“Let’s go to the Willow
“Where’s Chase?”
“He’s under the willow already,” Anya answered. “I think he’s okay now.”
Ellie looked at the tree more closely. The tall lanky figure of her cousin stood within the shade of the willow. She then turned to look back at the forest. The Old Man was still there. “I thought your father’s story was just a story.”
“It was just a story.” Anya held Ellie’s hand more tightly. “I don’t understand what happened. You found out the secret before you got to the Willow.”
“What?” Ellie tried to jerk her hand from Anya, but Anya held it more firmly.
“Usually you have to step out from the willow first,” Anya said. “Then the things you imagined while there become real once you’ve gone out into the meadow and into the forest. Sometimes, we’ve created entire worlds to go into and explore.”
Chills ran up Ellie’s spine.
Anya looked at Ellie. “You must have a really strong imagination.”
“You mean…since I was thinking about your father’s story…I made the Old Man appear? I made Chase crazy?”
“Yes.”
“Then how do we make Chase better?” Ellie asked.
“He’s already better.” Anya brought Ellie to a stop just before they joined Chase beneath the long drooping willow branches.
Chase waved from beneath the willow. “Hi, Ellie. Glad you could make it. I would have come to help, but I was afraid I’d go crazy again.” He did not sound glad. He in fact looked quite scared. There was a bloody bruise on his forehead where he had hit the log.
“You’re okay?” She couldn’t believe that she had driven him crazy.
“My head hurts a little bit, and I have a strange craving for peanut butter and jelly. Other than that I’m fine.”
“I don’t understand any of this,” Ellie said.
“We’re confused too. This hasn’t happened before,” Chase said.
“All we know,” Anya said, releasing Ellie’s hand and stepping in front of her. “Is that the willow is our safe spot.” Placing her hands on Ellie’s shoulders, she turned her around.
There stood the Old Man, still at the forest edge, still watching them. The very sight of him made her stomach sick.
Anya’s hands pulled Ellie backwards into the shadow of the willow. As she did so, the Old Man suddenly disappeared.
“He’s gone!” Ellie exclaimed.
“Oh good!” Anya exclaimed.
Ellie looked at her quickly. “Will he come back?”
“I don’t think so…unless you believe he’s real next time we go out in the forest.”
“And Dad says if you say you don’t believe in something while under the willow, it will never appear again to you,” Chase said.
“Your dad knows about this place?”
“Your dad too. This is where they grew up. Your dad was the one who told us about it. We’ll have to tell them about what happened today. Maybe they’ll have an answer.”
“My dad? This is bizarre. I don’t believe in the Old Man in the woods. He’s just a story.” Ellie crossed her arms. “Now, let’s go home? I don’t like it out here.”
“It’s not all bad, Ellie,” Chase said. “Usually it’s a lot of fun.”
Ellie looked up at him. Not that bad? “I just got chased by a scary old man!”
“Ellie?” Anya asked.
Ellie’s gaze quickly fell on her. The girl looked worried.
“We often imagine scary things. But more often we imagine good things.”
Ellie shook her head. “I want to go back.” David was right. Maybe it was time to grow up. Maybe it was time to stop playing, stop pretending, stop making up stories. If her imagination nearly killed her, she didn’t want to play with it any more.
Anya cocked her head to one side, as if listening to a voice hard to hear. “Okay…we’ll go back. But first. Do you want to meet Scooter and Jelly?”
Ellie’s hands dropped to her side and her mouth opened to answer, but she stalled before saying anything. Was Anya serious? Actually meet Scooter and Jelly? “Are you serious?”
“How real are they to you?” Chase asked. A grin was spreading across his face.
Ellie looked pass him at the trunk of the willow. Scooter and Jelly had been two of her best friends growing up. “What do I have to do?”
A huge grin came across Anya’s face. “Believe in them here beneath the willow. Then, step out into the meadow and call for them.”
When small, Ellie had always wished they were alive. She had often stayed up late, watching to see if they came to life at night. They never had. If she could believe in the Old Man in the Woods, she could believe in Scooter and Jelly.
Ellie turned around and stepped out from beneath the shadow of the willow. “Scooter!” She paused, hesitating to say the next word. She might have to change the rabbit’s name. “Jaaaelllly!” Her voice faltered at first. Chase’s lunacy was all too recent in her memory. “Jeeeelllly!”
Her gaze swept the meadow and the edge of the forest, searching. Nothing appeared at first. “Scoooter! Jeelllllyy!” She sang their names this time.
And then, there they were. An orange cat was jumping through the tall grass of the meadow. Not far behind him, was a yellow rabbit walking on his hind legs and wearing blue overalls.
Tears glimmered in Ellie’s eyes. She went up on tip toes and waved at them. “Scooter! Jelly!”
“We’re coming! Ellie! We’re coming!” Jelly called back.
Maybe, there were a few more stories to tell after all. As long as Uncle Charles never told another story about the Old Man in the Woods.
