Hockomock

When I was a kid I lived in a town called Middleboro located in Massachusetts. Just outside of our back yard was the Hockomock swamp where I loved to play and build forts. Usually I played by myself so when I heard a strange hum it startled me. I put down the sticks I was using to build a fort and followed the sound. It wasn’t quite human sounding.

At the waters edge I saw a naked woman standing in the middle of the swamp. She had green, mossy hair, a chubby frame and she appeared to be in her late fifties. I could only see her from the belly up, the rest of her was submerged. She smiled at me and reached out a slimy, splotchy hand. The woman had black, long fingernails -almost claw like.

I felt drawn in, hypnotized by an urge to join her in the swamp. I inched closer to the woman and the humming grew louder. She smiled when I reached the water’s edge, my sneakers touching the mucky water.

I heard my dad calling my name, which broke me of the spell and the strange woman instantly submerged herself in the water. She was gone before I could take off running.

I never told anyone about the woman, fearing nobody would believe me. Never again would I step foot in the swamp.

Years later I stumbled across some articles on the internet, written around the time I saw her. They were local articles about several children who’d gone missing in the area. Many of them were last seen at the Hockomock.