Fun Campfire Ghost Stories by John Bradshaw

my
light on and standing there were hundreds of squirrels. They stared
at me with their black beady eyes and their white sharp teeth
reflecting the light. They slowly circled around me. I was
petrified and could not move. I yelled, “Daaaad!…Buster!!!” Only
silence was the response. Then a voice said, “We have taken care of
them…now its time for us to take care of you.” The voice came from
the large reddish squirrel directly in front of me. As soon as he
said it the other squirrels started flicking their tails and
chattering loudly.
    “What do you mean?” I said. The large reddish
squirrel said that this was their area and that we were the
invaders and had to be….eliminated.
    Immediately, one of the squirrels ran up to
me and sunk its teeth into my leg. I quickly kicked it off while
another squirrel jumped for my neck. I ducked and the squirrel when
over my head and hit a tree. Another jumped and bit my arm before I
was able to turn and sink my pocket knife into it. As it fell to
the ground, I picked up a stick from the firewood pile and did my
best to fend off the attacking squirrels, but there was just too
many of them. They attacked from all sides and no matter how many I
struck, they just kept coming. I could see the squirrel leader
standing there watching me slowly ware down.
    Soon I had little energy left. I was down to
my knees, which made it easier for the rabid squirrels to bite and
claw me. Finally, I fell down facing the stars when the big reddish
squirrel jumped on my chest, its teeth inches from my neck. It
said, “Now it is finished. We have our victory.”
    I didn’t feel any pain. I could feel one
rabid squirrel licking the blood from my hand. It didn't feel too
bad. I was slipping away.
    In the distance, I could hear my name.
Someone was calling me. The voice grew quickly louder. As I forced
my eyes open, I saw my Dad kneeling over me. “Son its time to get
up,” he said.
    I sat up and looked around. I was in the
tent, it was morning and Buster was licking my hand.
    I guess maybe I should have listened to Mom
and not eaten all that chocolate right before bed.
     
     
    *****
     
     

Chapter 22 - The luckiest man who did not
know it
     

     
    O nce there was a man
who lived in a beautiful home. He had everything but was never
happy. The man believed it was because he was unlucky.
    One day he had enough and he went to a very
old and wise witch who lived in the swamp outside of town. The man
wanted to find out why he was not lucky. The old and wise witch
told him he must visit the oracle which was the source of all
knowledge and ask it that question. "Where do I find this oracle?"
The man asked. "Travel to the west until you reach the end of the
world and there you will find the oracle," said the old witch as
she stirred her cauldron.
    So the man set off to find the oracle at the
end of the world and ask why he was not lucky. He walked for a day,
he walked for a week, he walked for a month and he even walked for
a year until he came to a clearing in the dark woods which was
surrounded by werewolves.
    On one side of the clearing were these strong
and vicious looking werewolves. On the other side was a small,
scrawny, sickly looking werewolf. The man decided to walk towards
the scrawny werewolf. As he passed, the werewolf asked, "Where are
you going?" "I am going to visit the oracle and ask it why I have
no luck," answered the man.
    "Interesting, if you find it can you please
ask it why I am not as strong and as vicious as my brothers," asked
the werewolf. "Of course," the man answered as he walked off.
    He walked for a day, he walked for a week, he
walked for a month, he even walked for a year until he got to a
beautiful forest. The trees were vast and stretched far up into the
sky, but in a small clearing was a short, leafless tree with
spindly branches. As the man walked by, the little tree called out,
"Excuse me where are you going?" "I am going to the end of the
world to visit the oracle and