AN OLD HUG LURKING IN THE WOODS

This story was about me and my friend's camping in the woods that make us a believer about the urban legend, folkloric creature living and lurking in the woods. It is about our childhood on how we saw an old hug at night. The unforgettable night that made the unverified existence of such creatures become even more intriguing.

"I grew up in this small town, that farming and growing livestock are the main source of income. Rice fields, bamboo groves, and fruit-bearing trees are very common. Not everyone has electricity or television. Kids my age would play hide-and-seek and tag you're it amongst other games. Running competitions amongst us kids was another usual game in the evening. Sitting in a circle and telling a story in a big bonfire is the main thing in the evening. There were these woods nearby our house My parents used to tell me never to go into those woods because they were haunted by an urban legend, or might encounters with other folkloric creatures such as a woman or an old hug who would turn itself into a creature such as a cat, bat, bird, boar or most often, a dog and either harm you or lures you and won't be able to be back home But I didn't listen.

It all started when I was 8. Me and my friend explored the woods and go for long miles walk. In a big pine tree, all four of us, Jem, Jemuel, Ron and I, regroup, bring a couple of camping kit, fishing rods, chop logs, pack everything up and went out to the woods. In the middle of our walk, we were having fun joking around, enjoying the nature, exploring whatever we see and living life to the fullest.

On the way to our destination, we came across an old cabin. A tall grass surrounded it so we cannot go in. We didn't know what look and what inside of it because we didn't explore; we ignore it. We just keep walking and walking and walking and after a long mile walk, we finally reach our destination.

We set up our fishing rod, adding bait onto it, find our own spot, and start fishing.

We've caught a bunch of fish, were having so much fun to where we didn't realize the time and it's already noon time. The sun slowly going down and it's going dark. Worry about being lost in the woods at night, Jem, Jemuel, Ron and I, all four of us, set up our tent and stay there for the rest of the night. The sun had just set, and the fire was roaring, throwing sparks into the air. We were gathered around it, cooking the fish that we catch in the fire.

We are all huddled together, enjoying the fish that we catch, our faces lit by the firelight and our eyes wide with anticipation. We loved sharing a good ghost, urban legend, folkloric creature's story.

Sipping a hot soup, Ron began telling a story about a Manananggal, an older woman capable of severing its upper torso in order to fly into the night with huge bat-like wings. Ron told us how this creature follows him when his walking alone on his way home. One afternoon, Ron's father sent him out into the woods to find some logs. His father told him he needs to be back before midnight because it's too dangerous to be in the woods at that time. Ron then hurry and get an axe, get a bamboo made bag and he then go to the woods to find some logs. Ron walked around for hours in the woods looking for logs but couldn't find any! He looked everywhere: under rocks and sticks, behind bushes and flowers… but still no logs! He search and search and search and finally, after hours of searching (and getting covered in dirt), Ron came upon an old tree lying on the ground near a tree stump. "Maybe this is what my dad meant when he said 'logs,'" thought by Ron as he picked up his ax and began chopping away at it, trying desperately to make it smaller so that it looked more like a log than just some old tree lying around. It's already midnight when he's done chopping a log, he collect enough logs so he puts the logs in his bamboo bag and goes back home. As he's heading back to their home, he heard a very large bird with a very large wings following over he's back. Every time he stops walking and look into her back, the sound of its big wings was gone and when he try to look at his surroundings nobody's there, so he walks fast as he can almost running and the sound is getting closer and closer and closer. Then soon as he reached their house, suddenly the sound was already gone. The hairs on our arms stand up after hearing this story.

We continuously telling different stories, but before continuing, something caught our eyes. In the dark edge of the woods, there is an old hug. Her face was covered in wrinkles, and her hair was long and gray and she got a sharp eyes looking unto us. As a child, we all run back to one tent huddled up in the middle inside of our tent, arming ourselves with one small flashlight. We all scare to went out so we stay still, then outside the rain start fell heavily on the roof of the tent, and the fire in the fireplace had burned down to embers, and everyone of us in the tent had couldn't sleep, so we stayed up. We heard a loud noise, footsteps coming from behind us, so we decided to see what it was. Bravery we peek out through one of the small holes in the canvas wall of our tent—and seems like nobody's there so we all went outside with a one little flashlight in our hands and we explore through the surrounding of our tents but there is no one to be found we saw nothing but trees, our body was all wet and getting covered in dirt so we slowly walk back to our tent. Then suddenly, the same noise happened again. This time, it sounded closer than before. We're all scared and ran back as fast as we can to our tent lock the door and this time nobody's want to see what it is. We don't know if it is the old hug that we see or wild animals bear, wolves hunting its prey. We huddled up; we try to shrug off our speculations, our body's shivering so we dry ourselves with few shirts that we have and after that we covered with a big blanket put the flashlight in the center in a dim light and we talk about on what just happened. The wind was howling, and the rain is going stronger we keep chatting and chatting and chatting. After an hour of talking because of exhaustion finally we fall asleep.

The sun rise, the rain was already stop we can hear a bird singing outside our tent. The beauty of the woods shows up, and it's already morning. Me and my friend get up quickly to check where the old hug been standing before no sign of her anywhere—not even any footprints in the mud or broken branches on trees! We couldn't figure out how she could have gotten there so quickly after disappearing into thin air. Then I remember what my parents used to say about a woman or an old hug who would turn itself into a cat, bat, bird, boar or, most often, a dog that lures and living in the woods.

We packed up our staff and tent and went back home. As soon as I got home told to my parents what happened, told them about seeing an old woman by the dark edge of the woods looking straight unto us in our camp last night. My parents looked at each other with worried expressions on their faces and they then told me some stories of encounters with the urban legend and other folkloric creatures in the woods. These creatures are invisible to normal people and because they can't be seen, they enjoy playing tricks and confusing people who wonder off near their dwelling place. As my parents' unforgettable experience On how they suddenly lost track of the trails in the woods or in the mountains without logic reason while some lost their way and never came back, were so lucky nothing happened to us. My parents told me to never again go into those woods without someone older than me.