Tales From Beyond (eBook)

Chapter 1

Mr. Parker, a middle-aged man from a small town in Pennsylvania, was taking his daily walk when he suddenly felt as though someone was watching him. The hair on the back of his neck started to tickle, and he found himself often looking back to see if someone or something was there. He couldn’t understand what was happening, as he had walked this same route for years and had never felt this before.

Upon returning home, Mr. Parker sat down in his recliner and turned on the television, only to find that he couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching him. Before going to bed, he shared the experience with his wife.

“Maryanne, the strangest thing happened tonight while I was walking. I couldn’t help feeling as though I was being followed.”

After a short pause, he told her it was still bothering him. Maryanne seemed to think it came from something he might have seen on TV and convinced him his rest was important and that he should relax and try to get some sleep.

The next day, Mr. Parker decided to take a different route to shake off his feelings. He remembered another road that ran back along the creek, across an old, covered bridge, and followed the same creek back to the gas station on the other side. It was close to the same distance, so he was on his way.

After crossing the bridge, Mr. Parker noticed he was taking Ridge Road toward the gas station. He kept track of the roads he took so Maryanne could find him if need be. He took the tablet from his pocket and jotted it down so he could tell her later.

It was getting dark when he reached the halfway point, and the night before was still on his mind. Never had anything haunted him like this in the past. Again, he turned around to see if anyone was there, only to find darkness. He wondered why someone would be following him. He let it go and continued his way home.

Mr. Parker felt silly allowing something like this to get to him, so he decided to stop and look behind him one last time. As he turned, he was startled by a young boy directly behind him.

Briefly, the boy looked to be around nine or ten years old. He had dark hair and blue eyes and appeared well-groomed.

“Hello, Mr. Parker,” the child said while smiling from ear to ear. “It certainly is a beautiful night for walking. Wouldn’t you say, Mr. Parker?”

“Where on earth did you come from, young man?”

“Oh, I live just over the hill, Mr. Parker.”

“Do you have a name, young man?”

“Sure, my name is Jacob, Mr. Parker.”

“And, how do you know my name, Jacob?”

“I must go now, Mr. Parker, but I’m sure I’ll run into you again. Goodnight!”

At the end of their short conversation, Jacob climbed up the long hill and eventually disappeared between two tall pine trees. Mr. Parker went on and finished his walk. He spent the remainder of the evening wondering how Jacob knew his name. He couldn’t remember seeing the boy around town and wondered why he was out after dark. He thought about the clothing he was wearing. It was not like anything he had seen in quite some time. He also thought about how happy Jacob was to see him, yet he didn’t know who he was. There had to be a logical explanation, and he would surely figure it out quickly.

Mr. Parker kept up with his daily walks; however, there was something different about them. Each day on the return trip, he would stop at the spot where he first met Jacob, hoping to see him again. He had a lot of questions for Jacob and wanted to learn more about him. Three weeks had passed, and he worried that something might have happened to him.

While driving through town one evening, Mr. Parker noticed Jacob sitting on the bench in front of the gas station. He turned around and went back, but Jacob was gone. He asked the attendant at the station if he had seen the boy, only to find he was too busy and hadn’t seen anyone. Before moving on, Mr. Parker decided to walk back down the road to see if he might catch Jacob going home.

“Hello, Mr. Parker,” Jacob yelled in an excited tone.

“Jacob, I haven’t seen you in weeks.”

“My mom doesn’t like me to go out too often, and I listen to her as best I can, Mr. Parker.”

Once again, the clothing caught Mr. Parker’s eye. He noticed Jacob was wearing a suit this time. It was an old brown suit with a white shirt and a striped tie.

“You look quite handsome today, Jacob.”

“Thank you, Mr. Parker. My mom will be happy to hear that.”

“Did your mom buy that suit for you, Jacob?”

“She sure did, and she cried the first time she saw me in it, but she’s okay now, Mr. Parker.”

“I’m going for a walk later today, Jacob. Would you like to go along?”

“I’ll meet you at the bridge, Mr. Parker. That is all the farther I’m allowed to go.”

“Why is that, Jacob?”

“Well, my mom doesn’t like me going too far from home.”

“I can understand that, Jacob. If you were my son, I wouldn’t want you going too far either.”

Later that afternoon, Mr. Parker came off the end of the covered bridge, and Jacob was waiting for him as promised. They walked together from the bridge to the gas station, where Jacob had to turn around and go home. On the way, they decided it would be nice to walk together daily, and Jacob said he would surely ask his mom’s permission. Mr. Parker had made himself quite a friend. He still didn’t know much about him, yet he knew he was his friend.

Each day, Jacob would meet Mr. Parker at the bridge and walk with him as far as the gas station. They would talk the whole way. It was almost as if they had known each other for years. Mr. Parker couldn’t figure out how Jacob always knew when he would be coming through. Jacob had never asked the day before, yet he was always waiting at the bridge.

Mr. Parker thought it was time that Maryanne got to meet Jacob, so the next night, he invited her along for the walk. He told her Jacob would meet them at the covered bridge and walk along to the gas station. To their disappointment, Jacob didn’t show.

The following day, Mr. Parker walked alone, and sure enough, Jacob was waiting for him.

“I couldn’t come out yesterday, Mr. Parker. My mom had things for me to do.”

“That’s fine, Jacob; I understand.”

“That’s good, Mr. Parker. I didn’t want to miss our walk, but it couldn’t be helped.”

“By the way, Jacob, you’ve never told me your last name.”

“That’s because you never asked, Mr. Parker.”

“You have a point there, young man.”

“My last name is Long, Mr. Parker. Jacob A. Long.”

“That’s interesting; my wife’s maiden name is Long. I didn’t know of any Longs living in this area.”

“We’ve been here a long time, Mr. Parker. We’re not related, though.”

“I find it interesting that each time I see you, you’re wearing the same suit, Jacob.”

“Yes, my mom loves this suit. She bought it for me, so I wear it as often as I can.”

“I’d like to meet your mom sometime, Jacob.”

“I don’t think that will be possible, Mr. Parker. She doesn’t like leaving home.”

“Maybe I could stop by one day, Jacob.”

“I have to be going now, Mr. Parker. I have things to do for my mom.”

“Will I see you tomorrow, Jacob?”

“I’m not sure, Mr. Parker. I’m not sure.”

A week went by, and Jacob was nowhere to be seen. Mr. Parker was curious about where he was and how he was doing. He and his wife decided to take a walk. They went to the spot where Mr. Parker had first met Jacob. Knowing he wouldn’t be walking as much with the bad weather coming on, Mr. Parker wanted to make sure his friend would be safe over the winter.

Mr. and Mrs. Parker waited at the spot where Jacob went into the woods. They called his name several times; however, Jacob was nowhere to be seen. They started up the hill and went between the pine trees, and the path abruptly ended. They climbed on until they reached a wrought iron fence surrounding an old cemetery. There were no houses in sight.

Maryanne spotted the...