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The most popular story of Denholm is that of the mysterious creature that makes home in the forest. Passed down for over two hundred years by residents, the legend has survived and only grown in popularity. This is present in how it appeared in a book on Hauntings in Maine, as well as severe hauntings in the United States. The people of the town believe it so much that at night they refuse to go near the forest, which is a historical landmark for the former school that stood at the entrance; first built when the town was settled. The story goes as so...
The settlement of Denholm was not one of the most ease. Densely wooded on rolling hills with position close to the ocean as a source of food, it seemed like the ideal place to begin a new home. However, the grounds were rocky and the trek for fishing took a lot out of a man. This is how the legend of the forest came to be.
One night a man named Ezekial Davis was returning from a long day of working along the beach to collect crabs and lobster for dinner. The night had fallen as it was in the later stages of autumn. Unaware of the fate that awaited him, he shrugged it off and began to make his way toward his home in the town at seven in the evening.
He knew his wife would yell at him for his late arrival, but that did not make him hurry his pace. Instead, he was drawn to the stories told of the forest by the outskirts of town. Townsfolk had reported they had heard baleful moaning, cries, and the odd animal would turn up missing the next day. Ezekial was excited by things of the supernatural and thought what better time to explore. The night was young, only turning navy, and the air was crisp with warmth and soft breeze.
He put his pail down alongside the road; he was sure he'd be back after a few moments, afterall. Without hesitation, he stepped into the forest. What happened to Ezekial in the forest is not known, but the next morning is. His wife was sick with worry. It was not uncommon that a man might slip and fall into the ocean, to meet his fate at the sandy bottom. She approached the constable for aide. Within hours the pail of dead fish was found.
The constable took a few of his men into the forest to see if perhaps Ezekial had got lost. It was plausible he had went into the forest to sleep, afterall the walk can be grueling. The party searched and searched, but nothing was found. Nothing, that is, until seven in the evening that night. Most of the townsfolk had joined the expedition to locate the young man. At seven that evening, a young man by the name of William came dashing through the woods with his eyes rolling wildly in his head and deep scratches covering his face.
"It got 'em all!" He cried over and over again before collapsing in a faint. William had been working in a group of five to try and locate Ezekial. The constable blew on a horn that everyone had agreed would be called on if Ezekial was found or the night was over. Many confused men poured from the trees to ask if it was over. None of those men were the other four with William.
Perplexed, and scared, the townsfolk moved away from the forest as quickly as possible. William was brought into the home of the resident doctor. Later that night, when he finally awoke, he was questioned by the constable at what he had seen, what had transpired and after much coaxing the story was revealed.
William and the men had come across the tracks of a strang beast. Confused, and sure that it had got Ezekial, they followed. What met their eye was a moss-covered cave. Strange, it was. They lit their lantern and entered, shocked at what they saw. Bones littered the area, as did the body of Ezekial Davis -- nailed to the cave wall through his eyes. Terrified, the men had fled, but not before the most awful of horses left before them. Black, scraggly, and with eyes as dead as the night, it had raised its head and gave a whinny that drew all their eyes to the man sitting atop.
Gruesome as ever seen, his face was sown together in places - at least, that is what William could think by the various colours and stitches lining them. In his hand he held a sickle and it came to cleave the closet. William reacted as he could to push the man away and was scratched heavily across the face. He gave a split second before beginning to run blindly through the wood like the others. He could hear the horse and the cackle of the man, but he would not be detoured.
One look behind him saw the man disappear in a poof of green smoke. With the story told, the townsfolk began to wonder if William was just suffering some sort of trauma. It would be months later that they would begin to believe him. When a young girl came wandering into town after being missing. No one recognised it was her, at first, as she had been badly mutilated by what proved to be a sickle. Her skin was cleaved off and she was blind in both eyes; badly bleeding, however, she managed to escape and died after telling a similar story. Every couple years since, another has gone missing to never be found..
They say that at night on February 12th, you can see the little girl traveling up the road with her disfigured face and blind eyes. They say that at night on January 28th, you can see the faint outlines of a man walking along the road with a pail as he makes his way to the forest. They say that every night of the year, a man roams the forest who achieves his immortality by feeding off the flesh of humans. No one dares go into the forest at night, that is all that anyone agrees on.
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