LEGEND: THE ZEPHYR PEAK MOMSTER

It's all fun and games until someone disappears. Two years ago, me and a group of my friends decided to have some fun. What we didn't know was how bad things were going to get.

Sleepy Hollow is my small little quaint town nestled against Zephyr Peak. The most beautiful mountain range in the world. A dream town for anyone.

As in every town there are secrets, legends no one ever wants to talk about. Some take these legends at face value. Others do not.

I for one don't believe anything at face value. I have to see it to believe it. All throughout Sleepy Hollow, I've been hearing stories about the wolfman.

These stories not only come from the towns people but also from tourist. Sleepy Hollow is a very popular destination for tourist during the winter season.

Zephyr Peak is a sight to see during the winter season. You can go hiking, skiing or another winter activity.

The tourist come to Sleepy Hollow. They go up the mountain. When they come back down the mountain, they tell a story of seeing a large hairy creature with sharp teeth, large claws and the most menacing eyes.

All signs of the wolfman. I didn't believe of course. Most of the towns people believed it. Many people in the town of course didn't want to speak about the wolfman but never the less the story of the wolfman spread like wild fire. Many people came to Sleepy Hollow to catch glimpse of the wolfman.

Sleepy Hollow made a lot of money off of the wolfman but no towns people would dare go up the mountain. They were all too afraid to see the wolfman. Only the brave would dare go up the mountain.

My house is just like all the houses in Sleepy Hollow. They are built in the shadows of Zephyr Peak. Grab your telescope, go up to the roof of your house and look up the mountain. Many people did that.

The stories the people told about seeing the wolfman are crazy. Mrs. Sadie would tell anyone who would listen that she saw the wolfman stalking, then attacking, then eating a deer.

Mr. Andrews also said he saw the wolfman stalking, then attacking, then eating a deer. The same story as Mrs. Sadie. More stories would follow. Some of the stories are of close encounters.

After these stories were told, some of the towns people ventured up the mountain. Some came back and told of no sighting of the wolfman. Others told of the wolfman stalking them.

One night at mid-night, I decided to take my telescope up to my roof and pointed it at the mountain. I wanted to see if I could see the wolfman.

I looked. I saw nothing. I stayed on my roof looking through my telescope until 3 am. At one point I thought I saw the wolfman but it was just a deer. I almost got excited.

I wasn't disappointed that I didn't get to see the wolfman. I was relieved. I didn't want to act crazy like the rest of the town.

These stories or tall tales as I like to call them are just part of people's imagination. Stories, legends people tell to get attention and to bring in money.

I am practical person. I don't believe in anything unless I have seen it with my own eyes. My best friend Emily is the total opposite of me. She believes in everything including the wolfman.

Emily's brother Jack said he saw the wolfman on one of his hunting trips. Two of his friends said they also saw the wolfman.

I didn't believe them. My sister Daisy believed them. Jessa my other friend is just like me. She has to see it to believe it.

One day me, Emily, Jack, his two friends, Daisy and Jessa were at the local cafe. We were talking about the wolfman. I made the suggestion to go up the mountain to find the wolfman. That was the biggest mistake I ever made.

It's hard for me to relive the events that took place on Zephyr Peak. I bottled it up for two years. My nightmares haven't stopped. I can still hear the screams of Emily, Jessa, Jack and his friends. I can still hear my own screams.

I cry every night. I have trouble falling asleep. I can't face my town. I can't face my family. I can't face no one. It's too hard. It's too hard to say I was wrong.

What started out as a fun time with my friends turned into a nightmare. The morning of our hike up the mountain Daisy kept on talking about the wolfman.

I kept on brushing her off telling her the wolfman is not real. I wish I listened to her. Me and Daisy met up with the rest of our group at the base of the mountain. We were all ready and eager to begin our hike.

Everyone was here. Jack's friend, I believe his name was Shane was leading the hike. I was in the middle with Jessa. Me and Jessa joked about the Wolfman and scaring Emily and Daisy.

We made camp at Hollow's trail. The girls bunked together and the guys bunked together. The guys made a fire. We ate dinner, then roasted marsh mellows.

I was having a great time until the conversation turned to the wolfman. Ever the skeptic, I try to poke holes in their stories.

They held steadfast to their beliefs. I admired that about them. During our conversation about the wolfman, we heard howling noises. Emily turned to me and Jessa as did everyone else.

I told them it wasn't us. Then we heard the howling again. I told them it was probably a coyote. Coyotes are known to frequent Zephyr Peak. Jessa was the only one who took my side. Everyone else said it was the wolfman. We heard four more howls then it stopped.

It was after mid-night when us girls went to bed. Jack and his friends stayed up. They of course wanted to stay up to see see if they could see the wolfman. What happened next is truly the scary part.

I was awoken by the crunching of leaves outside of my tent. I saw a shadow fighter walking. I woke-up Emily, Daisy and Jessa. I told them someone is outside.

Emily said it was the wolfman. Then I heard Jack calling my name Johanna. He sounded very scared. Me, Jessa, Emily and Daisy left our tent. It was around three in the morning.

When we saw Jack, he was trembling. He face was as pale as a ghost. I asked Jack "Where is Shane and Bobby?" He didn't answer right away. I asked him again.

Jack finally told us what happened. He said that after we went to bed, he, Shane and Bobby hiked up the trail to the top of the mountain. Once they reached the top Shane took out a tape recorder and started playing howling noises.

Jack went on. Next, he told us they heard a loud menacing growl. Shane stopped playing the recorder. They heard the menacing growl again. They stood in place not moving.

Then they heard loud footsteps walking towards them. They turned to where the noise was coming from. Jack said they saw the wolfman. Jack told them to run. Jack was in the lead.

Jack said they ran and ran. The wolfman was chasing them. Jack tripped on a branch. He crawled behind a tree. He didn't see Shane or Bobby. He heard the most awful scream. Jack ran until he back to camp.

The wolfman got Shane and Bobby is all I heard from Jack. Emily and Daisy believed Jack. Jessa didn't know what to make of it. I told them Shane and Bobby are just lost.

I told them we need to go up the mountain and we will find them. Everyone agreed but before we left, we heard a menacing growl.

Daisy grabbed my hand. She was scared. So was everyone else. I still didn't believe it was the wolfman until I saw it. I couldn't believe my eyes. I couldn't move. I stared at it for so long.

Then I heard Jack yell run. Daisy pulled my arm. We started to run down the mountain. I couldn't look behind me to see Jessa. All I heard was the menacing growl. I wanted to stop. Emily and Daisy wouldn't allow me.

We reached the bottom of the mountain. I was out of breath. I looked all over the place and found only Jack, Emily and Daisy. No Jessa. I wanted to go back up the mountain to look for Jessa. Jack wouldn't let me go. We left back home.

The next day we came back to Zephyr Peak. We looked and looked for our friends. We couldn't find any trace of them. The wolfman got them.

Two years have passed with no sign of Shane, Bobby or Jessa. I hate myself for not listening to Daisy. I hate myself for not believing. I will not stop looking for my friends. The legend is real.