Creatures Caves

I love folk stories, old myths, legends and ghostly tales.

This isn't meant to be my thread alone, but a community effort to share stories.

So, got any good folklore?

Here's a story that I was told when I was a mere slip of a lad.

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A long time ago there was an foolish man named Jack. Jack spent his days wandering the town where he lived, avoiding his overbearing wife, and hounding rich young men to marry his beautiful daughter.

One day, Jack was wandering the streets, as usual, when he heard thunder in the distance, far off in the woods which bordered the town. Since there were no clouds in the sky, Jack thought it was very odd that it would be thundering; so, having nothing better to do, he wandered into the woods, towards the sounds of thunder.

As he walked, Jack heard the thunderous roar grow louder and louder, yet the sky above the tops of the trees was still clear and blue. Finally, after walking for what seemed like hours, Jack found a large clearing in the woods. Jack hid behind a tree and peeked around the trunk to try and see what was causing the thunder.

There, at one end of the clearing were a group of tall, bearded men, and on the other end were nine large, round logs, stood up on their ends. Jack watched in awe as one of the men picked op a big, round, smooth stone and rolled it toward the pins. As the stone rolled along the ground, it rumbled like thunder, then there was a great crash as the stone struck the logs and knocked them to the ground.

The men seemed to be having a fine time playing their game, and after each roll of the ball, they would fill huge mugs from a nearby keg.

Now, Jack had always been a man who knew how to appreciate a good game and a good mug, and the sight of those men playing and drinking was making him feel giddy. Soon he could take it no longer and strode out into the clearing.

"Hello good fellows," Jack called out. "Do allow me to join in your game?"

The men looked at each other, then shrugged and waved Jack over. One of the men shoved the round stone at Jack; the stone was so large and heavy that he could barely heft it, yet determined to impress his new companions, he gamely rolled the ball toward the logs. The ball rolled weakly toward the logs, barely rumbling at all, and lightly tapped one of the logs, which fell over with hardly a thump.

The men laughed cheerfully and clapped Jack on the back so hard that he thought his teeth would fly out of his mouth. Another of the men roughly shoved a mug in Jacks hands, and motioned him to drink his fill, which he did only too eagerly. The liquid in the mug was sweet and wonderful, and after only a single gulp. Jack's head was spinning.

Jack lost all track of time there in that clearing. he lost count of hoe many times he rolled the stone, and of how many mugs he drained.

The next thing Jack Jack knew, he was lying on the floor of the clearing, as if awakening from a deep sleep. He felt as if he hit his head against something hard, and was alarmed to find that his clothes were worn and and moldy, as if he had spent several nights sleeping in the rain.

Jack made his slow way back into town, and received a second shock; the town was nothing like he had left it. Strangers walked the streets and gave Jack odd looks as he passed by. When Jack found his home, it was empty and filled with cobwebs. Jack sat on the ground outside his house and cried.

Very soon, Jack felt gentle hands on his shoulders, and looked up to find a matronly woman looking down at him.

"Father!" she cried, and hugged Jack tightly.

Jack's daughter took him into her house and told him that he had been missing for many long years. His wife had passed away some time ago, and his daughter married to a goodly man. Because Jack had been missing for so long, everyone had feared him dead.

Jack changed that day, no longer did he wander the streets, but sat in a chair outside his daughter's house and told all who would listen of the tall, bearded men and their game of bowling.