The Journey to New Buckland (Part III)

Pilgrims, if you’ve been followin’ this here story, you’ll know that ol’ Buck had himself one terrible experience in that canyon and managed to make it outta trouble at the very last second! Unfortunately Buckley managed to find himself in some seemingly uncharted territory. The desert was behind him, and he found himself walkin’ in a particularly eerie forest. Buck was still a little rattled from his ordeal in the canyon, but his nerves were far from shot. He’d been through more than one dangerous situation in his life, and he wasn’t about to let one apparently supernatural experience claim his sanity!

It was startin’ to get late, and the sun’s light was fadin’ fast. Buckley was tired, but he’d have to find some kind of shelter if he didn’t want to get hypothermia or be some varmint’s dinner! He could always build a fire and sleep in the forest, but not knowin’ the area or who or what populated it, Buck decided it would be better to find somethin’ a little more secluded (or at the very least safer). It also occurred to him that he no longer had his lantern since he’d tossed it to ward off them crazy voices back in the canyon. If he didn’t find somewhere to stay fer the night, he’d be forced to build a fire and take his chances in the creepy forest all by his lonesome.

Buck picked up the pace and kept on marchin’ through the twisted old trees around him. It was mighty quiet in the forest. Heck, Buck wasn’t even sure if there was anythin’ livin’ in it at all! He even stopped fer a few seconds just to listen, but…nothin’ - no birds, no animals, not even the sound of runnin’ water nearby. Buckley couldn’t afford to stop and think about his situation - he would just have to press on until he found somewhere more suitable to rest.

After walkin’ another half mile or so, Buck spotted what looked like a buildin’ in the middle of the forest. He continued his approach and saw a few other wooden structures come into view. It was a town! Buckley was so overcome with relief that he practically ran the rest of the way until he found himself right in front of the settlement. There were some old, crumblin’ buildings to the left and right of Buckley. He took a few tentative steps forward and looked around. It seemed like the town was completely deserted. Buckley hollered, callin’ out to try figure out if anyone was around. He waited a few seconds, not too certain that he even wanted to get a reply. But nope, nobody answered. He hollered again, a little louder this time, but again…silence.

Walkin’ into the town, it looked like the place was completely devoid of life. Buck saw a big ol’ piece of wood lyin’ in the dirt. He turned it over and realized that it was a sign (an actual sign, not some divine portent, partners). He got down on one knee and used his paw to dust off the old wood, revealing the words ‘Welcome to the Town of Hoggenbottom, Population: 37’.

Buckley slowly got back on his feet and dusted himself off. Hoggenbottom, eh? Buck tried to figure out how long the town had been deserted, or why it was deserted in the first place. It sure wasn’t big, but the buildings didn’t seem too old. Had somethin’ scared the townsfolk off? Were they forced to leave because they ran out of food or somethin’? Buckley scratched his head, but he couldn’t really think of any decent answers - not yet at least.

Since nobody was around, Buckley decided to make his way into one of the old buildings. It looked like it was once a saloon, but most of the tables and chairs seemed to be missin’ or were stowed away in some other location. The sun’s light was almost completely gone now, but thankfully Buck found an old candle sittin’ on the dust covered bar that lay a few feet away from the saloon’s entrance. He still had some matches in his knapsack, so he took out the box, lit a match and used it to light the candle. Buck wasn’t sure where to rest, but after a little consideration, he decided to settle in behind the bar since it would provide him with a little protection and keep him hidden if anythin’ decided to come in while he was sleepin’.

After eatin’ some rations and havin’ a drink of water, Buck was feelin’ mighty tired. It was still deathly quiet outside, and it was pitch black save fer the candle he had lit. Since Buck was tuckered out, and since he didn’t want to draw any unwanted attention, he decided to blow out the candle he’d put beside him behind the bar and get some much needed shut-eye.

Buck fell asleep pretty darn fast, but his dreams were strange and vivid. He kept seein’ people in Hoggenbottom all workin’ and goin’ about their daily lives. Then he saw a mob of angry people firin’ off weapons and chasin’ a wagon loaded with what looked like a substantial sum of tokens. After that, he envisioned the remainin’ folks takin’ what few belongings they had left and leavin’ the town in a small convoy…

Just then Buck woke up to the sound of footsteps on the floor of the saloon. They sounded heavy…real heavy. Heck, it sounded like a giant was walkin’ around, causin’ the saloon’s floorboards to creak and complain with each colossal step the creature took. Buckley kept real quiet and made sure not to panic. He was tempted to look, but whatever it was, it sounded unnatural and hostile. Even if Buckley wanted to look, he’d have to light a match, and that would give away his position.

Buck heard the creature sniff the air - it seemed to have caught his scent! He listened as the creature lumbered towards the bar. He heard it put its snout on the bar and sniff aggressively, but since the bar was covered in a thick layer of dust, it ended up lettin’ out an almighty sneeze. And then another. And another!

Buck took this opportunity to slowly gather his things and quietly creep across the saloon floor and away from the now preoccupied creature - it kept sneezin’ over and over again, so whatever it had snuffled up had really irritated its nasal cavity. Buckley could hardly see, but he knew he’d need to find a better place to hide. He felt his way around and crawled behind what he figured was an old crate. He decided to stay real still and wait once again.

The creature finally stopped sneezin’ and seemed real irate. Buck listened intently as it slowly made its way out of the saloon and back out into the open air. What the heck was that critter? First voices in the canyon, now some strange beast? Buckley had really had enough of these inexplicable shenanigans!

After calmin’ down, Buck got in a little more sleep behind the crate. However, as soon as the first light of mornin’ broke, he set off once again, takin’ his time to survey the area for any creatures or inhabitants that may have been lurkin’. He slowly made his way to the other side of the small deserted town and continued on into the forest as the first light of mornin’ filtered through the leaves of the forest canopy.

Buckley didn’t really know what had happened in Hoggenbottom, but if his dreams were anythin’ to go by, it was some real misfortune that led to the townsfolk endin’ up destitute and unable to continue inhabitin’ the area. Or maybe that creature was the reason the people had left? It was impossible to say, but either way, Buckley was real glad to get out of the ghost town of Hoggenbottom and back on track.

As Buck made his way back into the strange forest, he heard a furious roar far off in the distance behind him. He assumed it was the creature he’d very narrowly escaped - without stoppin’ or lookin’ back, Buckley kept movin’ and eventually found his way out of that strange forest and back to more familiar territory…

Moral of this here story is: it’s best not to panic in difficult or scary situations. Sometimes you just need a little patience and the right timin’ to get yerself outta harm’s way. And of course, plannin’ ahead and takin’ the time to keep yerself safe from unexpected attacks is always a good idea if you want to avoid any kind of real misfortune!