Bogleech.com's 2020 Horror Write-off:
Cornfield At Night
Submitted by Dusty
Sometimes I see corn when I close my eyes though I don't live there anymore. My grandpa kicked me out at seventeen. He caught me walking home at the crack of dawn. My stuff was on the porch in trash bags. He gave me money for a bus ticket. Before I had a chance to explain he said, "You know why."
The foal somehow got lost in the fields right before dusk. My grandpa hurried and grabbed the mare. Stables locked, stall latched, she was even tied with a rope to the wall to prevent escape. I was told to stay indoors. Tried to sleep but all I could hear were the horses crying. It was too cruel for me—leaving the foal out overnight in the cold—if he was hurt or if coyotes got to him. So I snuck out to free the mare. She led me into the cornfield where we heard her baby crying everywhere. Figured she would find him herself by his scent so I loosed the rope. She disappeared into the corn. The crying stopped.
I tried to find the horses but after a while I gave up. Then, I tripped.
The ground caved in a little and my ankle clear to my foot got stuck in a hole or something. I did not want to be stuck in the cornfield all night so I started yelling.
The worst part is, I know my grandpa heard me because I heard him turn on some blues. The louder I hollered, the louder the music got. Maybe to punish me. Maybe because he was an asshole. The music played all night. Eventually I got tired and fell asleep. Later, I woke up and the foal was next to me caked in mud. I dug myself out. The foal followed me home. I checked the stall, but the mare was gone.
I was told to go down to Missouri where my cousins lived.
At first, I didn't want to go. It meant leaving my grandpa alone but I was mad. I just broke one of his stupid rules, but it wasn't really a rule anyway. It was superstition.
Don't go into the cornfields at night. Don't look directly at a blue moon. Don't mix beer and liquor. I don't even know what's supposed to happen. Nothing happened except I lost a horse.
When I told my aunt what happened, she said, "Your dad did that too. He went into the cornfield at night to look for your brother because he heard him screaming."
"Grandpa kicked out my dad?" I knew it!
"No. In the morning, they found your brother. Your dad never came back. Grandma, when she went looking for me, didn't come back either. Like your grandpa's daddy."
The foal somehow got lost in the fields right before dusk. My grandpa hurried and grabbed the mare. Stables locked, stall latched, she was even tied with a rope to the wall to prevent escape. I was told to stay indoors. Tried to sleep but all I could hear were the horses crying. It was too cruel for me—leaving the foal out overnight in the cold—if he was hurt or if coyotes got to him. So I snuck out to free the mare. She led me into the cornfield where we heard her baby crying everywhere. Figured she would find him herself by his scent so I loosed the rope. She disappeared into the corn. The crying stopped.
I tried to find the horses but after a while I gave up. Then, I tripped.
The ground caved in a little and my ankle clear to my foot got stuck in a hole or something. I did not want to be stuck in the cornfield all night so I started yelling.
The worst part is, I know my grandpa heard me because I heard him turn on some blues. The louder I hollered, the louder the music got. Maybe to punish me. Maybe because he was an asshole. The music played all night. Eventually I got tired and fell asleep. Later, I woke up and the foal was next to me caked in mud. I dug myself out. The foal followed me home. I checked the stall, but the mare was gone.
I was told to go down to Missouri where my cousins lived.
At first, I didn't want to go. It meant leaving my grandpa alone but I was mad. I just broke one of his stupid rules, but it wasn't really a rule anyway. It was superstition.
Don't go into the cornfields at night. Don't look directly at a blue moon. Don't mix beer and liquor. I don't even know what's supposed to happen. Nothing happened except I lost a horse.
When I told my aunt what happened, she said, "Your dad did that too. He went into the cornfield at night to look for your brother because he heard him screaming."
"Grandpa kicked out my dad?" I knew it!
"No. In the morning, they found your brother. Your dad never came back. Grandma, when she went looking for me, didn't come back either. Like your grandpa's daddy."