"Every hear of Spooky Tooth?" Jeremiah Jones whispers to his grandson.

"Uh-uh" Jimmy shakes his head anticipating a moment of old fashion magic, "spinning yarn", the old folk used to call it.

"Well ..i dont know ..This tale might be a tad too scarey for the likes of such a scrawny, young lad."

Jimmy smiles! He knows his grandfather likes to tease before he opens his treasure chest of hidden bijou.
"Alright, but i dont wanna tangle with your mom for causing you to have nightmares again. Just between you and me, then ?" the grizzly old countryman grins.

"Deal ! i wont tell a soul. It'll be just between you and me."

"Scouts honor, hope to die stick a needle in your eye?" Daddy long legs stares tenderly at Jimmy.

"Scouts honor," the child crossed his heart .

"and what?"

"Hope to die, stick a needle in my eye."

"Thats a good boy" wisdom pats youth on the head.

The old mans age weathered face glows orange by the fireplace of his country side cabin. He once lived in Pleasantville..a town just like any other. Until the developers moved in,tearing down landmarks to erect the God awfullest subdivision you ever saw- Happy Valley Estates.

Eventually investors developed and expanded until Jeremiah felt smothered. He had to get out. So he sold everything, bought a plot of land 60 miles south of Pleasantville [where the air is still clean] and built a cozy 2 bedroom cottage.

Daddy Long Legs, a nickname which suits him to a tee...At 6feet 5inches tall he stands a head taller then most. Blue eyes that pierce like a winters blast ...combined with a manchurian, snow white beard. He is quite a sight.
He puts a log of hickory on the fire pulls up his favorite rocker by a cobble stone fireplace and arrows his thoughts into the crackling flames.

"I was just a lad myself ...The great Depression had begun.. i believe it was 1929 ? Yep, Pleasantvillle was a nice place to live back then. Even though times were hard. Folk reached way down into their pocket to help a neighbor. Right friendly you might say.
The almighty dollar rules."

"Anywho, me and Billy Prachet was fishin' up on Blood Creek that use to run slap through Dark Hallow. Them was the good ole days. When all ya needed was a worn pair of 'Big Jim" overalls, a cane pole, a can of wigglers , and a 'want to' attitude. That is until them blasted developers plum changed the face of everything . Now Bloodcreek is a concrete canal gurglin stink and pollution, and Dark Hollow is nothing but a lousy shopping mall. Where long haired kids hang out instead of going to school."

"What about Spooky Tooth,Daddy Long Legs? "

"Oh yeah, hmm...we wuz playin' th'catfish that night. As i recall Billy hooked a 20lb. mudcat . We had a string full. So we headed back up the path to Pleasantville . Thats when..."

Jeremiah pauses, takes out his favorite Sherlock Holmes pipe and special blend tobacco, packs and lights the blend with a redball match . He draws a pull ...puffs blue white ghost like plums of smoke and ... "Boy , ive not told this story before. Didnt think i should i was just a knee high to a grasshopper i was yes, sir ."

Jeremiah leans closer to his grandson and whispers ..
"See ? Legend has it , if you speak Spooky Tooths name..he'll come around ..and rip your head from your shoulders ..and eat yer brains . But being as its been some 63 years ago. i guess we buried him deep enough."

"So what happened grandpa ?" Jimmy calls Jeremiah grandpa when he gets excited !
Jeremiah smiles, he knows he's got the boys attention now the web master spins a sticky strand and captures his audience completely.

"There was this old witch her name was Aggatha, i believe. She lived way back beneath the tall timbers of Dark Hollow in a one room shack. Was said she ate stray cats."

"Ew-w.." little Jimmy grimaces.

"Yep ! She wuz a mite ugly , too. Nobody dared go near her place for fear she'd put a hex on 'em."

"Naw...!"

"Yep..!"

"Anyway.."

Billy and me decided to have some fun. We traipsed up to Aggathas place. We figured she'd be asleep by then. It was around midnight.

The house was dark as a greaser's tomb. An old hoot owl screeched ! Scared us half to death. We almost sceedaddled out of there. But curiousity got the best of us. I picked up a stone, hurled it at the shack breaking a window . It made one hell of a noise ! We hid behind a mulberry bush.

Inside an oil lamp flickered to life. The wooden door creeked on its rusty hinges and...out came Aggatha the Witch !
"Who goes there ? Why cast stones at shadows? Make ye self known. Stand before me if ye dare."

Young Jeremiah wasn't intimidated . He didnt cotton to being dared. Much to Billys reluctance. They faced their accuser.

Ie-e-e...What mishchief befalls the likes of two curly headed boys on a night such as this ?

"We didnt mean nothin'...we was ....."

"Hush ! Come inside. I'll fix a pot of hot chocolate..and we'll visit a spell."

The elderly woman went back inside leaving the two to make up their minds.

"Im not going in there. She eats cats. Probably people too."

"Scaredy cat!"

"Maybe? At least i'll be a live one."

"Whelp, im goin in. I aint scared of any ole witch."

"Mercy sakes, Jeremiah. You never did have a lick of sense. Im outta here."

As Billy Prachet hightailed it back down the path. He hollered over his shoulder,

"Your dads sure to put his bet to ya "

 

Jeremiah shook off a nip of fear, climbed the short steps and entered another world. The dwelling was quite clean and tidy. Nothing like what he thought it would be.

"Sit here.." old Aggatha pointed to a table near a well stocked cupboard.