“Tales of the Bushmen” Part 5: Creature in the Cabin

In Part 1 of his “Tales of the Bushmen” series, Keith David Langston explained how he came to work and live at a lodge in the Northwest Territories of Canada one summer. Parts 2 through 4 relate bushmen stories that co-workers —Coya, Riley and Sabrina— regaled him with around a campfire one night. This is what happened when he retired to his cabin that night and is the conclusion of his “Tales of the Bushmen” series. Or is it…?

The Shadow

In the corner of my cabin, just a few feet from my sleeping bag, was a giant dark shadow. It was in the shape of a massive person.

I could hardly breathe. I couldn’t muster a single word, not even a gasp or a scream. All I could do was stare at the giant presence in the room.

I couldn’t make out any definition but I could clearly see the shape. I could even see the shadows of the hair that covered it. I stared at the giant black shape lingering in front of me, so lost in shock that I couldn’t even think.

I didn’t know what else to do, so I ducked into my sleeping bag to hide. There’d be no way I could escape through the door or the window without being caught. I closed my eyes and told myself this wasn’t real. It was a stupid thing to do, but when faced with what is possibly pure evil, you’ll do anything.

I could feel it standing there. Watching me. I wondered what would happen. Would it grab me? Would it eat me? Would death be painful? Was I already dead?

Then, as if I had simply blinked, I could see that my cabin had gotten bright. Was this death? I peeked out from under my sleeping bag and saw that it was morning. The sun was shining through the window, creating a beam of light aimed directly at where it –whatever it was– had been standing.

Questions

I remembered Riley’s story about his mom. How she had suddenly woke up without knowing what happened. If the bushmen stories were all made up, how could that kind of similarity happen? And where’d it go? Was it the light? Did the sunrise scare it off?

I crept to my cabin door and opened it. There was a blue sky. The world had no idea what had happened during the night.

After breakfast I ran up to Norma. “Norma! I need to talk to you in private!” I said, trying not to sound frantic.

We walked around to the back of the lodge. There was a small raspberry bush popping through the rocks, and Norma picked a berry and popped it into her mouth. “I told you not to talk about them,” she said, almost casually, like she had expected this to happen.

I was trying to hide how scared I was. My heart was racing.

Protectors

“But don’t worry.” She said, “If they came to you and didn’t take you, it means there’s someone out there protecting you.”

I couldn’t think of anyone who would be actively “protecting” me, but then I remembered my mom, who prays for me every single night before bed, and who feels the need to tell me this nonstop.

Is it possible that bushmen are real? Or that prayers work?

Or did I just have a bad dream after a night of ghost stories, or worse, sleep paralysis?

Are the Bushmen the remains of evil men? Or just stories parents tell their kids to make sure they don’t wander into the woods at night?

Perhaps Monsters

I don’t know if I’d consider myself a believer of the supernatural yet, but at the same time I can no longer say that I’m not.

If that night was simply just a dream, then my mind is a terrifying labyrinth capable of producing nightmares so real that the idea of going to bed is horrifying.

And if it wasn’t a dream, then the idea of being awake is just as scary.

What I will say is that now, like so many others, I too believe the Far North holds a mystery, a power, and perhaps, monsters.

About the Author

Keith David Langston currently writes for Travel Channel and Passport Magazine. When he isn’t traveling, he lives in New York City.