The Weary Traveler

By Darla Dixon

In 1879, a weary traveler stopped at Snell and Sawyer’s store in Snellville. His newly-purchased supplies were loaded into the back of his wagon. The traveler brushed his horse, Old Sam, and tied him to an oak tree in the grove. The trees would give them some shelter during the long night.

"There you go, Old Sam," the man said, patting the horse.

The man reached into the wagon to get two old quilts. One quilt was to go on Old Sam's back, the other quilt was for the traveler. The man had such high regard for his faithful horse that he gave Old Sam the better quilt.

The oak grove was quiet, except for some cicadas making their nighttime noises from the trees.

The man slept. 

Suddenly, the traveler was startled awake by the sound of shuffling footsteps. The footsteps seemed to be coming from the direction of the store, so at first the traveler didn't worry very much about it. "Probably just another traveler coming to the grove for the night," the traveler convinced himself. The footsteps stopped and the man breathed a sigh of relief.

But no, the footsteps were not done. They began again, this time from the other side. This is poppycock, the man thought to himself, so he plucked up his courage and shouted out into the darkness, "WHO GOES THERE? Announce yourself!" But there was no answer, only footsteps in the leaves, getting louder.

The traveler cursed himself under his breath for not waiting until morning to purchase his supplies. Thinking he might be robbed, the traveler lifted up the edge of a flour sack he was using as a makeshift pillow and drew out his revolver. But this wasn't a force that could be fought with a mere firearm of this world.  The man felt overpowered, even though no hand touched him.

No human hand, that is.

The man awoke unharmed at sunrise, his gun beside him. He had not been robbed. Old Sam was gone.

He never did find out what happened to old Sam. The man did return to Snellville many times after that, always stopping in at Snell and Sawyer's store.

But he would never again spend the night.