THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS

By Chris Ashline

Throughout history, there have been many tales and lore regarding creatures of all types. One such creature roams the bayous in Louisiana near a little town named Blue Stone. The townspeople have given this creature that has decided to reside in the area the name of the Willowwind. While none of the people have ever actually seen the creature, there are also some locals who have never been seen again. There are those who have been brave enough to travel out in the swamp for all kinds of reasons. Some to hunt, some to observe the wildlife and some to just spend some time away from civilization. But many of these are never heard from again. There have been some search parties that have gone out in search of these missing people, and while many of their belongings have been found strewn about, no signs of the individuals themselves have been located and are presumed dead and consumed by the swamp.

Dylan Benedict has been an investigative reporter for a number of years doing mostly freelance reporting for blogs and podcasts. He has always been intrigued by legends and stories like the Willowwind, and this was just the kind of things he really enjoyed looking into. For years he had been tracking incidents of people mysteriously vanishing and the more answers he seemed to find just created more questions to solve. He took it upon himself to travel deep in the swamp to see for himself what the truth was behind these incidents. 

When arriving in Blue Stone, he began by asking the residents about the happenings and gather any initial information. They warned him that he should stay away and not travel in the swamp, especially at night. Among the stories he heard, the townsfolk told him that sometimes at night, the wind would make a strange howling sound, something almost unnatural. There were some similarities in some accounts they told such as nights when the moon is full and the swamp falls quiet. Ignoring these risks, he continued on his mission to search for the answers. As sunset approached, he ventured into the swamp. The swamp was full of signs of life from the sounds of the animals, and the babbling sound the water made to the creaking of tree branches rubbing against one another in this dense murky marshland. There was a current to the water that propelled him through the swamp allowing him to concentrate on his surroundings. The moon was full this night, but the dense canopy of the trees blocked out most of the light vesting an eerie darkness over the water. The only real light he had was a glow from a lantern that hung from the bow of his boat.

As Dylan traveled deeper into the darkness, the sounds of the swamp grew louder, echoing off the trees as if he were traveling through a tall canyon. The current of the water started to slow and eventually his boat came to a standstill. He now had to rely on his oars to propel him. He eventually reached an area where the water opened up to almost resemble a pond. Oddly though, the sky was still completely black even though it was a full moon. The vastness of the area was so open that even the light from his lantern was not any help as if he had somehow drifted off afar to point that there was nothing for the light to reflect off of to provide some point to use to navigate the area. It was even too dark to the extend he couldn’t see which direction he came from. Using his compass, he was still able to travel in a straight line, even though he was unaware of the destination.

It was at that point that the sounds of the swamp got softer as he traveled on and eventually the air around him turned completely silent. The animals all suddenly stopped their chorus of sounds in unison as if they were all ordered by a higher authority. It was then that a strange noise began to surround him. It resembled the sound of the wind, but it had a more ominous roaring sound to it. It was as if it was coming alive. Although he could see any kind of shoreline, he could hear the sounds of trees swaying and crashing as loud as if he were standing in the middle of them.

Then all of a sudden, the water current began to move. However, instead of moving in a single direction, he boat began to spin in circles. As the spinning started getting faster, the wind started getting louder. The intensity of both the wind and the water kept on increasing. Dylan wasn’t sure what this phenomenon was. None of the stories he had heard described anything like this. 

Then, all at once, the wind and the water stopped. A mysterious glow could then be seen under the water. It was an odd bluish color. It didn’t appear to be coming from one source. It was as if the entire swamp was lit up and the intensity grew brighter and eventually began to engulf him. Then he was able to see something break through the water’s surface. It wasn’t one point, but almost like a large mass from under him was rising up like some kind of island. However, he noticed that as the walls continued to rise around him, his position on the water remained the same. The walls then began to close up around him and above him. He could see some remains from others. Others that had gone missing. It was then that he realized that while this may be his greatest stories, it was one that no one will ever read as the walls sealed shut and he was pulled down into the depths of the water.

So, when traveling in the swamp, one must take care and keep their senses about themselves. For when the crickets are chirping, the toad are croaking and the badgers are growling, then one can feel safe. For it is when the night turns silent that one must be extra wary. That is when the threat is at its peak when the only thing that one can hear in the wild in the willows.