The Incident at Blackgrove

Chapter 5: The Festival, Pt.3 (The Statue)

"Ooo, this is the pig prank from--"

"1889. Right?"

"Ah, so you did read those books."

"Yeah, fascinating stuff."

"What did you think? Nothing to worry about, right? Just some fun folklore."

"Yeah. I mean, I don't know what to think about whether it's real or not, but he doesn't really seem all that dangerous, I guess." The tractor sped up a little as we left the scene. All was quiet and dark for a bit. Suddenly, a man in a poorly made Sikhs costume jumped out at us. Everyone in the cart jumped and screamed, followed by laughter.

"See?" Willa said, "it's not that bad."

"Yeah," I chuckled, "not that bad." It continued on like this for a bit as we traversed through other historical scenes, tunnels, bridges, and other scenes of increasing complexity. Some of it was even beautifully made, with water features and beautiful lighting. There truly wasn't anything to be afraid of.

Yet, my anxiety remained.

Just as the ride was ending and we were heading back towards the festival grounds, the tractor suddenly stopped cold. In the middle of the forest.

"God dang thing," grumbled the tractor driver, "sorry folks! We'll get going in just a sec. This dang tractor's always doing this, dang..." He trailed off from there and grumbled to himself as he began fixing the tractor.

The people in our cart started talking to each other quietly. I could see the lights of the festival grounds in the distance through the trees and brush. The muffled, far-off sound of music and fun could be heard, but our immediate area was still surrounded in darkness and silence. "Having fun?" Willa asked me. I responded, a little distracted, "yeah. Fun."

I suddenly heard a twig snap behind our cart. I turned to the right to look behind us. I saw nothing but darkness, but I clearly heard that twig. Willa, who was to my left, started talking to someone else in the cart, however I couldn't help but continue to stare into the black void behind us. That imposing darkness. It somehow felt like it was getting closer. Something was coming up on us, and I seemed to be the only one that sensed it.

"Uh, hey driver, is it almost fixed?" I asked the tractor driver, antsy. He answered me with a grunt and a gruff "I'm workin' on it!" Willa touched my shoulder and asked if I was alright. "Yeah," I said to her, "just a little nervous for some reason."

"Don't worry. We'll get going soon." God bless her patient, understanding heart. I turned back to the darkness. If it was possible to hear darkness, to hear void, I swear I could hear it in that moment, getting louder and louder. I didn't want to scare anyone, but I felt like something terrible was just meters away from us, hiding in the shadows. A few more twigs and leaves snapped and rustled. I instinctually grabbed Willa's hand. "Hey, are you alright?" she asked me. I kept looking into the void, expecting to see something horrid. I had the worse feeling in the pit of my stomach and I could feel my palms getting sweaty.

My breathing grew shallower, faster. Willa turned to me completely, concerned. "Dakota, what's wrong?" The void was still void, but now I felt like I could see a shape forming in the inky blackness of the shadows. My heart sank. The silhouette had a distinct fox-like shape. I started to panic.

"What? Is there something there?" Willa asked.

I answered quietly, "I think I can see Sikhs in the darkness there."

Willa scoffed (but not disrespectfully, if that makes sense). "Very funny, Dakota."

I kept staring at this silhouette. It was motionless. Still. It was vague and its outline was unclear, mixing with the black of the lightless area around it. It was as if you opened your eyes after sleeping for many hours and you could detect someone in your room, but only just, seeing only a suggestion of shape. No color, no distinct form. The presence of this being was menacing, sinister, uncaring. If it really was Sikhs, I still couldn't understand how everyone found him to be a harmless prankster. He felt like a sickness. A disease. He didn't seem purely evil, but rather a destructive force unaware of its real effect on the world. Even his presence alone was making me feel tired, afraid, anxious.