Patrick McNulty

MASSACRE AT LAKE EUCHA

by

Michael Errol

Jared swore he would never set foot on Cherokee land again after nearly getting killed by one of the Little People nearly a year ago, yet here he was out on the still waters of Lake Eucha in the dark, gigging with his two friends Darius and Billy. He decided he would be safe on the water since these creatures usually stayed on land and out of sight.  They rarely revealed themselves to more than one person at a time, unless they were threatened, or if someone had been disrespectful to them, which is what Jared had done a year ago. He was afraid they would remember him, and exact vengeance.

“Hey guys, we gotta get to land, the motor keeps bogging down. I don’t want to get stuck out here.” Darius yelled over the sound of the boats’ motor.

“So far from the ramp?” Jared asked, concerned.

“Don’t think we’ll make it that far.”

Jared was getting nervous. This meant that the Little People could be near the shore, waiting for them to land so they could get to him. He looked at the forest beyond the shore as the boat came to a stop.

“All right you guys, get out while I check this engine out but don’t go far in case I need help” Darius said as he shut off the sputtering engine.

As he exited the boat, he noticed the cicadas and crickets and all the other forest creatures were singing in full force, which was comforting. He looked around at their surroundings as his head lamp lit the way. There was a small strip of rocky land where they were standing next to the boat, just enough to sit comfortably and maybe build a fire. The underbrush beyond looked impassible, and the trees were thick in this part of the forest. It would be difficult to get through if they needed to go that way.

“Billy, come shine your light on this motor. My light is messing up and I can’t see what I’m doing.” Darius said to their other friend.

“Okay.” He replied.

Billy walked over to help, and Jared stood there alone, listening to the orchestra of sounds that permeated the forest, and the lake. He wished they would hurry up and get that motor fixed soon, his anxiety was flaring up big time. He looked over to see Darius pull the cord and the motor fired up. Jared smiled, now they could get out of this creepy place, but his hopes were dashed as it died again.

He sighed and looked around, when he realized the forest sounds were winding down and getting quieter. Soon the noises stopped altogether, except for Darius trying to get the motor to crank over. His eyes widened in terror.

“Guys!” Jared said frantically.

“What?” Darius and Billy both said at the same time.

“Do you hear that?”

“What? I don’t hear anything.”

“Exactly. The forest is silent.”

Jared stopped what he was doing to listen and heard nothing. Not even crickets. Not even the wind.

“Oh hell, something must be out there!” He exclaimed.

Just then Billy was violently sucked backwards out of the boat, screaming, and disappeared into the forest. The screaming stopped abruptly, seconds later. Darius looked at Jared, his eyes wide.

“Get in the boat, fast!”

Both of their lights suddenly went out and Jared heard a scuffling sound, followed by Darius screaming as he too was pulled out of the boat and into the forest. Jared didn’t know what to do. The Little People, or the Yunwi Tsundi as the elders say, apparently held grudges forever and they had found him, and he had more than likely just gotten his friends killed. A soft voice rang out in his mind that told him to jump into the water, ss if his Cherokee ancestors were calling out to offer assistance in his time of desperate need.

He immediately dove into the lake and began to swim away from shore as fast as possible. As he got further away, the sounds of the forest began to slowly return, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He had survived a second time. He paused and tried to get his bearings so he could swim to the boat ramp, where his truck was. As he swam away there was a sudden, violent tug on his foot that stopped his progress, and began to pull him completely under the water.

He realized it wasn’t the ancestors that had called to him after all.

End