Disclaimer: This is not intended to be a work of fiction, rather an account of controversial events that happened in my hometown, which are still being discussed by my peers. I chose Creepypasta to upload this story because my cousin suggested that this was the perfect place to post it, seeing as it has a rather somber tone to it. Not to mention was the fact that many of my peers suggested I publish it, since I was involved in the original finding. All of the places described are factual, as you can use sources such as Google Maps to check my claims. Seriously, drive up and go there if you’re curious, as I will provide a map at the end of the Creepypasta. Lastly, I must remind you that this may simply turn out to be just another hoax, much like Sasquatch and Bohemian Grove. Either way, it is still a perfect fit for this website (well, sort of). Read on:
I live in Holmes, NY, a small town in Dutchess County that surrounds Whaley Lake, which I believe is owned by our neighboring town, Pawling. I would love to go into details about my childhood here or some other boring crap, but don't worry, I know you don't really care about that. Anyways, my friends and I have always loved exploring the woodlands around the lake, which resides next to a run-down railroad from which I can only guess dates back to the 1950's. To get from one place to another, we use the rusty tracks as a means of quick passage. Over the years, we would take lengthy walks to look for new locations to mess around in. So, as you can imagine, we loved to explore.
A couple months ago, my father said that I should check out this new area that one of his friends from work told him about. Apparently, an abandoned Boy Scout Camp resides next to an isolated lake known as "Little Whaley." I had never even known about it before (probably because nobody gives a damn about it). Eventually, I decided to see it for myself and possibly rummage for collectibles in the camp (this was probably last October). So, by myself, I ventured to the camp by taking the tracks, crossing the section of the lake that’s divided by them, and climbing up the surrounding hills.
I trudged upward for a good five minutes, until I came upon a dirt road that was too overgrown with weeds to be used anymore. I continued my walk by following its steady ascension into the camp. When I first arrived, I wasn't sure if I was in the right place, seeing as there were no cabins, no tents, and absolutely none of the things that we usually associate with a summer camp. All I could find were more of those beaten trails, massive propane tanks (which one of my friends said are where moonshiners build their stills), heaps of scrap metal, and small, overgrown fields. Not to mention were the stone ruins, which I later found out from my neighbors to be the foundations of homes that used to be there. Apparently, there was once was an entire community up there, until it was closed and the camp was put up in its place.
I held my doubts until I came upon a little shack, which I examined to see was a latrine for the campers that used to meet up there in the 1970’s. There must have been hundreds of them, for they were scattered over every corner of the forest (man, those Boy Scouts have bladder issues). Eventually, I decided to go back the way I came. I must have taken a wrong path, however, because I ended up walking for hours. I began to realize that I was getting lost, but decided to still continue on the extensive trail I was walking on.
As if to add to my very disturbed situation, I came upon a creepy white building in the distance, shrouded in the darkness of the autumn trees. The moment I saw it, I immediately felt like I was being watched. I was afraid that I would die at that point, as if whatever it was that was staring intently at me would be my demise. I ran as those fearful thoughts flickered through my brain. Although I pretty much booked it as fast as I could, I found a proper road only a stone's throw away, which I was able to use to get back to my house.
Maybe about a week later, I took my pals to the camp, this time using the other entrance (the one I ran out of). I reviewed my previous experience with a critical eye, laughably assuring myself that I was just overreacting. We found the white building from before, noticing that it was an old church, with its windows smashed and its roof caved in on itself. Strangely enough, we discovered most of the furniture to still be present, including mangled beds, dusty benches, and heavy, maple drawers. We also found a black robe on a wire hanger, which must have belonged to a priest. For something that delicate to still be there was very unnerving to us, so we decided to leave.
From then on, I would regularly bring my friends along on weekends, when we would walk around the camp, sometimes making a stop at the church to take a break from walking. Around Thanksgiving time, when the leaves had fallen completely off of the trees, we noticed that there were actually two little houses within viewing distance of the church. They had been there the entire time, hiding in plain sight. The first house was in a relatively poor condition, with boarded-up windows, a door torn from its hinges, and a moldy deck that I broke my leg through climbing up. The interior had nothing too interesting inside, unless you think a moldy couch and a crappy heater is cool.
The second house was a wreck. From the outside, it looked like a stable, little cabin, however it was completely caved in on the inside. On the floor were scraps of metal, broken plates, and even what appeared to be broken patio furniture. I went inside through a window that was aloft only a foot from the ground. After digging through a pile of garbage, I discovered a black CD case in a ziploc bag, which had turned white from mildew growing on the inside. The case itself was one of those zip-up CD pouches that are made of that polyester stuff (I used to have one for my old DS Lite).
Upon opening, I found four CDs, a black Sharpie, and a folded-up piece of looseleaf. The marker was of course just a marker, however the CDs were some of those blank ones that are used for burning music and junk. As for the piece of paper, I found a very unsettling little poem that was written in blue ink. Although the penciled handwriting was very messy, I could still transfer it to a Word document. Here it is: "May mother lay there Just stay out of my way I wish to be alone now As all monsters say Dribbling lips call 'warovish' And I simply look back And shrug.
The 4 CDs, which I captured using a scanner.
Foolish things and foolish thoughts
The beings do But all for naught
For meaning is nil In this mechanical world
The serpent revealed to me Why greed is the best mead.
So look out below
Although sometimes behind
For the beast has found meaning In watching you bleeding.
And I shall capture it all
On this shiny little toy I found it in the hands
Of a missing boy.
I seek others like him
The stray of the pack
Much like yours truly But not so unruly.
Hush now mother
You're drooling again
A guest has arrived The master of men.
Welcome welcome Hermit-thing
Welcome welcome So truer is the wise, wise Buer."
Note: Unfortunately, I still haven’t gotten this back from one of my friends, so I cannot show you the piece of paper. Not that it would help you believe this ridiculous story.
One of my friends and I researched this over Skype, although we found almost no information on the meaning. However, we did come up with two matches in Google. “Warovish” is a word uttered by Grendel’s mother in the novel Grendel by John Gardner (I’m going to read this in the future to see if there are any connections). Also, “Buer” is the name of some demonic spirit from a book called The Lesser Key of Solomon. I also found a physical depiction of the spirit, which is shown as some demented lion’s head on a wheel of goat legs:
The rather disturbing depiction of "Buer."
I don’t like to look at it; it makes me feel like I’m doing something wrong when I stare at it. My mother finds it exceptionally repulsive.
Looking over the CDs, 3 of them were left blank, while the last one was labeled with black sharpie that read: “NIL (2009) Pt.3/15.” I played the 3 unlabeled CDs on my DVD player and found nothing, since they were probably yet to be used. The labeled one, however, showed this eerie video (warning: keep a watch on your volume, as the audio can get pretty loud at times):
I don’t know what to make of it. It was just some weird person walking around the forest in the snow. All he does is look around (one of the places I recognized was the tracks), push over some tree, and run around for no apparent reason. Notice that throughout the video, you can’t actually “see” any part of the cameraman’s arms or legs, implying that the author made sure not to include them in the footage. Also, the video is very distorted, which can range from looking like a blurry watercolor to a blinding light that barely allows you to see anything.
At one point, when it gets dark, we are introduced to another person (who looks like a kid) walking down a snow-covered road, while the cameraman watches from some kind of perch (maybe a building?). Then he follows him from far behind as it gets even closer to nighttime. Then, all of a sudden, the video cuts to the author shining a flashlight down on the ground. There are some half-buried objects which I can’t seem to make out, except for what looks like a tiny metal case. There is also the word “warovish” written in the snow, an obvious reference to the poem from before.
Footage "NIL (2009) Pt. 3 15"-0
The footage found on one of the CD's.
In the distance you can blatantly hear this loud and strangely unsettling tune that appears to be emanating from inside a nearby structure. When I first played the footage on my DVD player, I had to dampen the audio because i blasted through the speakers. My friends said that there’s an abandoned iron mine that they found near the camp, so that could possibly be where it’s coming from, seeing how caves make echoes (only my friends have seen the it though, so it might not be a mineshaft, but rather a large pit).
At last, the footage ends with what I think is the cameraman walking for a distance with his flashlight, until he finds the kid from before on the ground. I can’t really tell what’s going on, as the footage is having some sort of epileptic robot seizure. The kid looks up quick and then it’s over.
Some Thoughts:
1) I believe that the footage may have been taken on an old phone camera, seeing as how there are none of those recording numbers in the frame. The label as mentioned says that it was shot in 2009, so that may have been the year the camera was made.
2) This most likely wasn’t scripted. My cousin pointed out to me that there are no footprints that the cameraman backtracks.
3) I think that “warovish” may have some greater significance of which I’m not aware of. As I’ve mentioned, I’m going to do some research on the novel Grendel and see if it has any meaning to the video. Same with the spirit “Buer.”
4) If there are a total of 14 other parts to this footage, then this is only a drop in the bucket of the potential amount of backstory behind this video.
5) One of my friends seems to think that the little tune at the end sounds familiar. To me, it sounds like a medieval riff or something like a folk dance. I don’t know how I’d find out where it came from, though.
6) As for the mention of missing children in the poem, I’ve researched the area and found no reports of missing persons. This leads me to wonder whether this footage is genuine or just a prank by some of our neighbors.
7) The word “nil” is used on the CDs label, as well as in the poem. I looked up the definition on Google, and it comes up with synonyms for “zero” and “nothing.” I believe it may have something to do with meaninglessness, as it seems to make sense when used in the line: “For meaning is nil.”
8) I’ve found some houses on one little edge of the lake. They could have something to do with the CDs.
9) By some mere coincidence, the bridge that my friends and I always walked under to get through the back entrance was the site of a strange car accident that happened in the 1990’s. An old woman swerved to miss a dog and completely destroyed her car on impact. The car was completely shattered, but she was remarkably left unharmed. Another lady named Sharon Boo (who my parents know from town) volunteers to take photos of car accidents for the fire department. When taking pictures of the wreckage, an apparition of what appeared to be an angel showed up in one of the images. This was also found on the film negative.
This is the overview of the area as seen on Google Maps. I drew over it to show the main routes through the camp.
In conclusion, my friends and I don’t exactly know what this is, however it will be left open to the public to take a gander at, or rather get a good scare out of. I hope you found this entry to be intriguing. We certainly do. As for me, well, I'm never going back to that place after finding that poem. And that video. It's just too weird...
-Anonymous Andy
MAP:
Car Accident: Click Here
Demon/Spirit Thing: Click Here
Some More Info on the Lake: Click Here
BTW- If you were able to find out any new information on this topic or have actually found any new CDs when venturing to the lake, please let me know. Keep in mind however that I don’t want you to make fake videos and say that you “discovered” them there. THX