(SSSC) "My Grandma's Well"

My grandma's place has an old well. Tall grass and wildflowers of summer grow over and around it now until it is almost indistinguishable from the rest of the overgrown yard. It holds a dark secret that I keep far back in my mind. As dark and deep as the well itself. Grandma is gone now. Gone to her final rest never having told another soul about the terrible secret that she and I shared.

I was eleven on that fateful Halloween night. All costumed up as a witch and filled with joy over the prospect of all the candy I would collect later on. If I could ever get out of the house! I lived with my grandma, having been orphaned as a baby, and as she helped me put on my witch hat she clucked over how chilly it might be later. "Don't take cold now! Ya hear?" She fussed.

"Oh, grandma, it's not that cold!" I grumbled back as she attempted to put a sweater on me. Turning so that the sweater could more easily slip onto my arms I happened to glance towards the window. "Grandma! Did you see that?" I asked with fear in my voice.

"See what child?" She had almost gotten the sweater buttoned up and looked at me curiously.

"There were glowing eyes in the window!" I answered.

Grandma gave me a strange look and said "Yep, it's Halloween. Better watch out for the bogieman. Now quit trying to scare me."

I could see that grandma did'nt believe me and I tried to pretend that I had not seen the pair of evil glowing yellow eyes peering in at us through the big kitchen window. Suddenly I no longer wanted to go out trick or treating with my friends in the dark streets of our neighborhood.

"Grandma I've changed my mind. Could I stay here instead and pass out candy?" I asked.

Looking at me in frustration, she clucked her tongue and grumbled about how wishy-washy I was. "Just a few minutes ago, you could hardly wait to go show off your costume".

"I can show it off here." I answered and went to get the candy bowl.

I went into the living room and waited for my first trick-or-treaters. I tried to put the image of what I'd seen at the window out of my mind as best as I could, although I kept glancing out the window nervously. Trick or treaters came and left with the candy I gave them. I watched t.v. in between their giggling visits. For some reason I did'nt feel like watching the old scarey movies that came on and kept switching the channels.

After awhile I grew a little drowsy in the heat that emanated from the old wood stove. The snapping and crackling of the fire made my sleepiness grow until finally I had to get up from the old comfy sofa. Maybe a cool drink of water would wake me up. I went into the kitchen before I remembered the eyes that I had seen. Grandma had went on to bed early claiming that she was tired. Tiptoeing so that I would'nt wake her, I went to the kitchen sink and turned on the tap. Suddenly a face pressed itself up against the window above and yellow eyes glared once again at me. And what a face it was! Demons in hell could'nt have been more terrifying. Fangs dripped thick noxious venom down the outside of the window as it's forked tongue licked the pane. I dropped the glass and as it shattered at my feet a low growling could be heard. I looked into the eyes and saw what it wanted. It wanted me.

Why it wanted me I did'nt know. But in my soul I knew that when and if it managed to get in, I'd never be seen or heard from again.
A voice came through to my ears then. It sounded like the hissing of a thousand snakes

"Give me my due. I am the guardian of the well"

I screamed aloud and ran to my Grandma's bedroom. Falling in through the doorway I ran to her bed and stuttered "Grandma, wake up! There's something out there!" She sat up in bed with her long gray hair falling around her and held me tight until I could speak again.

"Calm down child and tell me what you saw." Gently stroking my hair back as she tried to soothe me.

Grandma put on her robe as I continued trying to explain what I'd seen and we went back into the kitchen. I hid behind Grandma as she filled her teakettle keeping my eye on the window.

"We'll have cup of tea dear. And I will tell you what I know about that old well out there in the backyard."

Sitting as far away away from the window as I could, I tried to calm myself. Nothing could happen to me now. Not with Grandma there. My childish mind at least hoped this was true. But what did the well have to do with any of this? Then I remembered the words of the thing at the window. It had said something about the well.

"You're still a child and I had hoped this would never happen to us again after last time but it has." She said seriously with tears in eyes.

I sat very still as I listened to my grandma and tried to absorb what she was telling me.

"There is an evil spirit that lives in that well out there. It only enters our world on certain all hallows eves and then it demands a sacrifice". Grandma choked the words out.

I could'nt believe what she was saying. As a child I had a pretty good imagination but the fact was I did'nt want to believe her words. I stared at her as she continued her story.

"When your grandpa and I first bought this property, he made a deal with that thing and he got rich. But a fool and his money are soon parted, and so it was with your grandpa". She sighed sadly. "I wish he'd never looked down that old well. We'd decided not to use it because it was almost dried up. But one day he looked down into it's darkness and he could hear it whispering to him. He was never the same after that. By the light of the moon I saw him draw up buckets of cash from that well. His reward for bargaining with that evil thing. After he gambled all the money away, he threw himself down that cursed well on a Halloween night and that was the end of him."

Tears now freely rolled down grandma's face. I did'nt really understand what she was telling me but I got up and put an arm around her. "It's okay grandma. Maybe it can't get us if we stay in the house." I tried to comfort her as she had comforted me earlier.

"I'm not going to give it what it wants!" Suddenly looking angry she got up from the kitchen table and I followed still fearing whatever was outside. We went down into the basement. Reaching up to a shelf she got down the big jug of gasoline that she kept there for our lawnmower.

"What are you doing grandma?" I asked.

"Hush child. Just do what I tell you to do." She answered out of breath. "Help me get this gas up the stairs."

Once we'd gotten the big container up the stairs grandma went and got the box of kitchen matches that she kept on the living room mantel. I could tell that grandma was'nt in the mood to talk now so I kept quiet and waited for any further instructions she might have. I was worried and hoped nothing ever happend to my grandma. What would I do without her? That evil thing outside would come for me. I just knew it. Again she got hold of the gas jug and we dragged it to the back door in the kitchen.

"Now child when I open that door we have to take this gas to the well as fast as we can".

Grandma sounded scared now. I was scared too but I knew that grandma could always make things right. I trusted her with my life.

Putting her hand on the doorknob she jerked the door open and we began to half-lift and half-drag the heavy container towards the well. Half way to the well, we could hear something slithering up it's stone sides.

"It knows we're coming grandma!" I yelled.

I almost fell down in our haste but caught myself just in time. Finally we got up to the lip of the well and started pouring the gas in. Quickly grandma made me stand back and took the box of matches from her pocket.

"Give me my due!" The awful voice hissed up from the well.

In seconds it would be to the top and that would be the end of me. I could imagine how it would feel when those needle sharp fangs sank into my neck. My grandma lit the match and it sputtered and went out.

The slithering sound was much closer now. I could hear the sounds that it's scaley skin made as it scratched against the sides of the well. Quickly grandma lit another match and threw it in. A bright blaze of fire ignited the thing's head that had just popped out of the dark hole. A tormented scream came from a mouth ringed in row upon row of needle sharp fangs. The forked tongue flicked out as it howled. Eyes of yellow were yet again glaring at me even through the flames. It tried to lunge at me in a final attempt for it's prize. My reflexes saved me and I jumped away just in time. The fire started consuming the rest of the thing then. It writhed in agony and whipped itself around in a frenzy before screaming it's way back down into the depths of the well. We stood there and listened to it's agonized death rattle...and then all was silence.

"Child we have to make sure that it's really gone". Grandma sat on the ground, exhausted and out of breath from our close call. I sat next to her and stared at the well. The full moon rose as we waited.

Grandma and I kept watch all that night to make sure nothing came out of that well. The next day she had a cement truck come in and fill it to the brim. Grandma watched as the cement was poured and whispered "There's your due!"

But to this day I still sometimes wakeup at night in a cold sweat dreaming about those gleaming yellow eyes.









[edit on 9-10-2007 by elaine]

Good story, you got that snake nailed!

I enjoyed your story elaine. I was close to my Grandma. She alway's seem to know all the answers and cures. I still don't know how vinegar and water with pepper added cures a soar throat tho? But I'll tell you after gargling that stuff psychologically it worked! I told her it worked.... I'm cured no need for another dose jeeze thanks Granny.
(as I grabbed my burning throat and ran to the bathroom to flush out my mouth)

It didn't matter how cold it was on Halloween I refused to wear a coat over my costume. It just wasn't right.

Thanks y'all.
I was close to my grandma too mountainstar. When I was little I always felt really safe around her and believed she could do anything. Probably even if it came down to fighting monsters for me. lol

[edit on 12-10-2007 by elaine]

Really creepy.

Great job

My Grandpa's Grandmother fell down a well when he was 9. I used to here the whole story nearly every Sunday after he'd had a few sherrys. Haven't thought about it for a long while now.

Great story and thanks for the trip down memory lane.

MonKey