I am aware that a Char Man legend Already Exists in California, so some of what will be in this story may bear some resemblance to that story. Anyway, lets begin.
(The names of the people have been changed to protect the innocent.)
"Another 'vacation'," I thought to myself as my family's Astrovan reached the entrance to the Buena Vista Aquatic Recreation area, a lake campground right outside of Bakersfield, California. It was a neighborhood summer tradition to go to this wretched man made lake, ski and inner tube for the weekend, and get all of our food stolen by raccoons. This year was a bit different.
It was a tradition on the second night of camping for all of the parents to get drunk. This year, I hung out with some of the high school kids (I was in middle school at the time), as they swapped scary stories around the campfire. Most were run of the mill ghost stories, a couple psychological thriller esque tales, and a long drawn out legend about a werewolf in London. Once these stories were done, the eldest member of the group, a pudgy and eloquent high school drop-out named Robert, interrupted as someone was going to begin another scary story. "c'mon you guys!" Robert yelled, "I have heard scarier stories from mall Santas!" Robert continued, calming down as he took a swig of beer that he had stolen from the adult cooler. "Here is a story that you will not forget." Bringing his voice down to a moderate whisper, Robert began his story, shining his flashlight on his face for full effect.
"It began in August of 1935, around this area. A Depression era farmer by the name of Frank Higgins had just gotten a new John Deere model A tractor. With this new vehicle in his possession, he was able to till his field with great ease." Robert took a deep breath and continued. "For awhile, Frank enjoyed this rowcrop masterpiece, until one day..." Pausing for dramatic effect, Robert continued his story. "One day, the engine of the tractor mysteriously caught on fire. Most speculate that this was due to a prank that a local group of teenagers had played on the middle aged farmer, who largely hated anyone under the age of 25. The explosion of the engine caused the slow incineration of Frank Higgins, as water was not available for miles around." Another breath, and the story resumed "local residents of the nearby towns tried looking for the ashes, but they could not find them amongst what was left of the tractor." Robert raised his voice to a normal volume, and continued.
"Strange incidents began to occur in the area around that tractor. In 1955, a group of local high school students claimed that they had seen an emaciated being stalking the area, eyes blood red, and skin charred beyond all recognition. This creature, called "Char Man," became a phenomenon in the 1960's and 1970's, with every city in Southern California having a story of their own." I interrupted to ask a question, "If every city has its own Char Man story, how can we be sure this is the 'original' one?" Robert shot back at me "Old newspapers, radio reports, and word of mouth generally trace the roots back to this city you little twerp! Anyways..." he continued, "there were rumors that, if you stared into this creature's eyes, you would instantly incinerate from the inside, as if your blood was turned to gasoline." Retreating back into a whisper, Robert slowly drew to a close "multiple sightings resulting in deaths of curious high school students interested a local contractor, who hired a construction company to build a lake in 1973 under the false pretense that it could be turned into a campsite. To this day, however, if you go to the island on the center of the lake, you can still see the brooding red eyes of a tall, thin creature; and if you do, you are already dead..."
The story was over. Everyone else besides me laughed in disbelief at the story. A feeling of horror had dawned on me, as I realized that this creature was separated by a stretch of water. "If 'Char Man' is so real, why hasn't someone gone out to the island to check," a friend of Robert mocking replied.
"There have been boat patrols going since the 1980's around the island, threatening to arrest anyone that trespasses." Robert madly countered.
"Well, it is 2:00 in the morning, no one is awake at this hour," Robert's friend, who I later learned was named Paul, said.
"Ok then, if you want to take the boat out there, it is your funeral..." replied Robert.
Given that all of the parents were drunk, it was easy to sneak the keys away from the captain of the Hope. With most of the high school students and myself on board, Paul sped the Hope towards the island...
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So, what do you guys think of my story so far? I actually do have some experience with Bakersfield and Lake Webb, so I mixed that and added some parts of the Ojai legend (changing the automobile to a tractor, some of the features of Char Man). Please help me out, and be sure to tell me if you want a part 2.
06 Jul 2013, 6:34 pm
