Kentucky Hauntings Read Online Free PDF Page B

failed to notice one of the drovers climbing up a tree to try to scare the turkeys down.
    The boy raised his rifle and sighted only the turkey. It was a big one that would win him a lot of admiration among his friends if he could shoot it. Behind the tree, the drover climbed swiftly and silently, out of the boy's line of vision. Two things happened at the same time. The young drover leaned around the tree and reached for the turkey. The young boy on the ground pulled the trigger and sent a bullet into the drover's head. The horrified boy watched as the drover's body fell to the ground with a thud. The turkey they'd both been after fled to another tree and was later caught and sold at market.
    The shooter, who was a minor, was not jailed as an adult. He was sent away to a reform school up north, and the victim was sent to the cemetery. That was not the end of it, though. On the anniversary of that tragic incident, people heard the sound of wings in the trees. They heard a single shot and the thud of a body hitting the ground. They always looked, but nothing was there. The scene was destined to be replayed over and over for many years until finally the sounds got fainter and fainter and disappeared altogether.
Fool's Errand
    The hunters in our community told this story. With little to do for entertainment when they were camped for the night on a hunting trip, they would resort to practical jokes to have some laughs. When they gathered at our home or the home of neighbors, they would recount their escapades. Most were innocent fun, but this one joke, which always stayed in our minds, had a terrible ending.
    A fool's errand is sometimes also called a snipe hunt or a wild-goose chase. In early times in Kentucky and the southern United States, it was a type of practical joke that involved experienced people making fun of inexperienced people by setting them up with an impossible or imaginary task. Campers and hunters often practiced this kind of prank. The victim of the joke had to do silly or preposterous things to complete the task, but of course doing so was hopeless. The fool's errand came in two varieties: trying to find something that does not exist, or trying to accomplish an impossible task.
    Many years ago, a group of hunters had pitched camp deep in the woods. After eating their dinner, cooked over an open fire, they were bored and looking for entertainment.
    In the group was a young man named Ronald Wilson, who was on his first hunt. His presence made the opportunity for a fool's errand too good to pass up.
    The group had considered a snipe hunt, but they discarded that idea because Ronald knew there really was such a thing as a snipe—it was a real bird that was very hard to catch. The group wanted something unreal and a whole lot scarier than a snipe. Finally, they came up with the idea of an imaginary monster called a Swamp Booger. Now that dinner was over, they were ready to put their plan into action.
    â€œBoys, how would you like to catch a Swamp Booger tonight?” one hunter asked in mock seriousness.
    â€œNaw, no way!” the others answered as planned.
    â€œRonald, how would you like to catch one?” the first hunter asked.
    Ronald shifted uneasily on the ground and looked at the group.
    â€œI never heard of a Swamp Booger,” he laughed nervously.
    â€œWell, we've all seen it and had a crack at it,” said the hunter, “but none of us could catch it. You might just be the man to do the job!”
    Ronald was tired from the day's hunt, and he didn't feel like hunting anything else that night. He did swell up a little with pride at being referred to as a man. All he really wanted, though, was to stretch out and go to sleep. It was obvious that this was not what his companions had in mind.
    â€œWhat do you say?” the hunter persisted. “You up to giving it a try?”
    All eyes were on Ronald, intent on their purpose of getting him to agree. He felt trapped and