They say some things are best left forgotten. Sometimes those old memories bring up more trouble than they're worth. Sometimes the past needs to stay buried. Because you may truly fear what you find beneath the soil.
The sun was nearly setting on this cold Sunday evening. My friends and I gathered around, reminding ourselves why we came here in the first place. To take revenge on the creepy old farmer. His name was Henry. Just saying that name put a fire in my chest.
At first, Henry didn't really seem like that bad of a guy. I mean, he had everyone else fooled. He was always helping out around the community. He even helped get my dad a new job after he'd struggled for so long after being let go of his old one. He would donate food to the churches and would give money to anyone who needed it around town. Everyone loved him. Everyone but me. There was always something off about the guy. No one is ever that nice without a reason behind it. And I think I know the reason.
About a month ago, kids started to go missing around town. The parents' stories always here, the kid was playing outside. The parents would go and do something else for a few moments, and when they turn back their kid is gone.
They would search and search all through town. Every family would get involved to help find their kids, but to no avail. Every kid that went missing was never seen again. Even to this day the police are still searching every place in town and outside of town that they can think of. But not so much as a lead has popped up. At least not until What I saw.
Yesterday I was playing outside with my little sister Denise. We were tossing a ball back and forth while joking about people we went to school with. I guess she threw the ball a little too far. It sailed over my head, so I turned around and went after it. Shortly after, I turned to throw the ball back to her, but she was gone. I saw some rustling in the trees at the edge of our backyard, so I went over. I thought she was messing around so I walked into the small clearing around the trees. I saw farmer Henry holding a chicken and what looked like Denise's necklace in his other hand. He looked panicked when he turned around and saw me. He dropped the necklace and took off running.
I tried to chase after him but he was much faster than me. He disappeared so quickly I had barely made it to where he was once standing with the necklace before I could no longer see any trace of him. I bent down and grabbed the necklace. I called my sister's name until my chest hurt. But to my dismay, I saw no result of it. None other than my mom running out to where I stood. By then, I had tears running down my cheeks. My sister was gone and it was all my fault.
Still, I couldn't shake seeing Henry in the woods with that damn chicken. What was he doing out there? And why did he have my sister's necklace? I wanted to be sad, absolutely torn apart that my sister was missing, but I knew somehow he had something to do with it.
I spent days trying to find Henry, though my parents warned against it. They didn't believe me that he was out in the woods. But I know what I saw.
And the more days that went by, the more those memories of him in the backyard stewed in my mind. My sister was gone. Henry might have been the last person to see her. But he was always so close to everyone else in town. Do you think that's how he got them? How he lured the missing kids away? Because he was a familiar face to them?
To me it seemed like it was a no-brainier. Henry was responsible for the missing kids. I just had to find my proof.
So, that's why my friends, Roger, Tim, and I were out here. We were at Henry's farm to find where he hid the missing kids.
Tim and Roger brought the gas cans and the lighter. I didn't feel good about it, but we needed to lure Henry out of his house somehow. And starting a fire in the middle of his field at night was the best kid of distraction. They found a clearing in the middle of his field between the barn and the gravel road outside of his house. He had be able to see it from his house, right?
And it worked like a charm. I hid behind the barn as I saw Henry running out of his house screaming. This was my chance. I ran into his house through the opened door and quickly looked around. I didn't have a lot of time to search. I looked for any doors, any sign of a basement. Anything that looked off. But I saw nothing. It was just a regular cabin in the middle of a field. I was almost sure there wasn't even a basement in here.
I looked out the window and caught a glimpse of the barn. The barn! That's where he's hiding the kids, I thought.
I snuck out of the back door of the house and took off toward the cabin. As I ran, I saw that Henry nearly had the fire put out. I guess the flames never really had a chance to spread.
After I got to the barn I flung the door open. Inside were chickens. Tons of chickens. Too many chickens for a single farmer to have. There were pens all over the place, floor to ceiling with cages and pens flooded with chickens. Some of the chickens had on clothing. Some had strands of hair branching off of their heads. This was weird.
I nearly jumped out of my skin when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned and saw Henry. His gaze was fixed on all the chickens in the barn.
"I guess you found my little friends," he said coldly with a grin on his face. He walked into the barn, walking over to one of the cages. He pulled out a chicken. The one he was holding that day in the woods. The day my sister went missing.
"You remember this little fella, don't you?" he asked, gesturing for me to come over and look at the chicken. I did just that and saw him towering me over me, the chicken cradled in his arms. "She certainly remembers you," he cooed at the chicken. "Don't you, Denise?"
I stumbled back at the sound of my sister's name. "What is wrong with you?" I said as I stepped to him. "Why would you name that animal after my sister? You know she's been missing for weeks. You know you were the last person to see her. What is wrong with you?!"
That made him chuckle. "Oh, you think I named this little one after her?" he smiled coldly. "This is your sister."
Suddenly everything made sense. But at the same time made no sense at all. How could it be my sister?!
He gently placed the chicken back into its cage and fixed his gaze on me. "But now you know too much." He reached his hands out to grab me but I scrambled away. I ran out of the barn, calling my friends' names. I heard nothing in response.
"Don't bother calling your little friends," he laughed. "They've been turned. And soon, you will be too."
I ran into the woods and dodged trees, hoping to lose him. But it seemed everywhere I turned his footsteps weren't far behind.
As I ran, my foot caught under a loose branch and I tripped, face-planting into the ground. I felt Henry's hand on my back and I knew it was over.
The sun was nearly setting on this cold Sunday evening. My friends and I gathered around, reminding ourselves why we came here in the first place. To take revenge on the creepy old farmer. His name was Henry. Just saying that name put a fire in my chest.
At first, Henry didn't really seem like that bad of a guy. I mean, he had everyone else fooled. He was always helping out around the community. He even helped get my dad a new job after he'd struggled for so long after being let go of his old one. He would donate food to the churches and would give money to anyone who needed it around town. Everyone loved him. Everyone but me. There was always something off about the guy. No one is ever that nice without a reason behind it. And I think I know the reason.
About a month ago, kids started to go missing around town. The parents' stories always here, the kid was playing outside. The parents would go and do something else for a few moments, and when they turn back their kid is gone.
They would search and search all through town. Every family would get involved to help find their kids, but to no avail. Every kid that went missing was never seen again. Even to this day the police are still searching every place in town and outside of town that they can think of. But not so much as a lead has popped up. At least not until What I saw.
Yesterday I was playing outside with my little sister Denise. We were tossing a ball back and forth while joking about people we went to school with. I guess she threw the ball a little too far. It sailed over my head, so I turned around and went after it. Shortly after, I turned to throw the ball back to her, but she was gone. I saw some rustling in the trees at the edge of our backyard, so I went over. I thought she was messing around so I walked into the small clearing around the trees. I saw farmer Henry holding a chicken and what looked like Denise's necklace in his other hand. He looked panicked when he turned around and saw me. He dropped the necklace and took off running.
I tried to chase after him but he was much faster than me. He disappeared so quickly I had barely made it to where he was once standing with the necklace before I could no longer see any trace of him. I bent down and grabbed the necklace. I called my sister's name until my chest hurt. But to my dismay, I saw no result of it. None other than my mom running out to where I stood. By then, I had tears running down my cheeks. My sister was gone and it was all my fault.
Still, I couldn't shake seeing Henry in the woods with that damn chicken. What was he doing out there? And why did he have my sister's necklace? I wanted to be sad, absolutely torn apart that my sister was missing, but I knew somehow he had something to do with it.
I spent days trying to find Henry, though my parents warned against it. They didn't believe me that he was out in the woods. But I know what I saw.
And the more days that went by, the more those memories of him in the backyard stewed in my mind. My sister was gone. Henry might have been the last person to see her. But he was always so close to everyone else in town. Do you think that's how he got them? How he lured the missing kids away? Because he was a familiar face to them?
To me it seemed like it was a no-brainier. Henry was responsible for the missing kids. I just had to find my proof.
So, that's why my friends, Roger, Tim, and I were out here. We were at Henry's farm to find where he hid the missing kids.
Tim and Roger brought the gas cans and the lighter. I didn't feel good about it, but we needed to lure Henry out of his house somehow. And starting a fire in the middle of his field at night was the best kid of distraction. They found a clearing in the middle of his field between the barn and the gravel road outside of his house. He had be able to see it from his house, right?
And it worked like a charm. I hid behind the barn as I saw Henry running out of his house screaming. This was my chance. I ran into his house through the opened door and quickly looked around. I didn't have a lot of time to search. I looked for any doors, any sign of a basement. Anything that looked off. But I saw nothing. It was just a regular cabin in the middle of a field. I was almost sure there wasn't even a basement in here.
I looked out the window and caught a glimpse of the barn. The barn! That's where he's hiding the kids, I thought.
I snuck out of the back door of the house and took off toward the cabin. As I ran, I saw that Henry nearly had the fire put out. I guess the flames never really had a chance to spread.
After I got to the barn I flung the door open. Inside were chickens. Tons of chickens. Too many chickens for a single farmer to have. There were pens all over the place, floor to ceiling with cages and pens flooded with chickens. Some of the chickens had on clothing. Some had strands of hair branching off of their heads. This was weird.
I nearly jumped out of my skin when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned and saw Henry. His gaze was fixed on all the chickens in the barn.
"I guess you found my little friends," he said coldly with a grin on his face. He walked into the barn, walking over to one of the cages. He pulled out a chicken. The one he was holding that day in the woods. The day my sister went missing.
"You remember this little fella, don't you?" he asked, gesturing for me to come over and look at the chicken. I did just that and saw him towering me over me, the chicken cradled in his arms. "She certainly remembers you," he cooed at the chicken. "Don't you, Denise?"
I stumbled back at the sound of my sister's name. "What is wrong with you?" I said as I stepped to him. "Why would you name that animal after my sister? You know she's been missing for weeks. You know you were the last person to see her. What is wrong with you?!"
That made him chuckle. "Oh, you think I named this little one after her?" he smiled coldly. "This is your sister."
Suddenly everything made sense. But at the same time made no sense at all. How could it be my sister?!
He gently placed the chicken back into its cage and fixed his gaze on me. "But now you know too much." He reached his hands out to grab me but I scrambled away. I ran out of the barn, calling my friends' names. I heard nothing in response.
"Don't bother calling your little friends," he laughed. "They've been turned. And soon, you will be too."
I ran into the woods and dodged trees, hoping to lose him. But it seemed everywhere I turned his footsteps weren't far behind.
As I ran, my foot caught under a loose branch and I tripped, face-planting into the ground. I felt Henry's hand on my back and I knew it was over.
***
I peered out from my cage as I saw Henry talking to my parents. They seemed pretty content with having their own chickens to take care of and raise. Henry made them a deal they couldn't refuse. He set them up with free eggs for life. Just two chickens for just a few dollars.
I guess I didn't tell you Henry's whole plan. He turned kids in town into chickens and resold them back to the children's parents for a couple dollars. It may not seem like much, but in a town like this one, there are a lot of families. And that money starts to add up quickly. I guess when it comes to chickens, Henry never clucked around.
I guess I didn't tell you Henry's whole plan. He turned kids in town into chickens and resold them back to the children's parents for a couple dollars. It may not seem like much, but in a town like this one, there are a lot of families. And that money starts to add up quickly. I guess when it comes to chickens, Henry never clucked around.
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