The James T. Callow Folklore Archive

JUMP STORY

PICTURE YOURSELF RIDING ON A TRAIN AT NIGHT.
I'M JUST ANOTHER PASSENGER SITTING NEXT TO YOU,
NEAR THE WINDOW. AS YOU GLANCE OUT THE WINDOW YOU
CAN'T HELP BUT NOTICE AN UNUSUAL PIN ON MY LAPEL.
I SEE YOU STARING AT IT AND I SAY, "I SEE YOU'RE
WONDERING ABOUT MY PIN. THE GOLD CRESENT MOON
REPRESENTS A FRATERNITY I WAS IN AND THE SEVEN
STARS SIGNIFY THE ORIGINAL FOUNDING GROUP. I WAS
ONE OF THE SEVEN...THERE'S A STORY TO THE PIN, I
WOULD LIKE TO TELL YOU...NO, PLEASE, I FEEL I
MUST TELL SOMEONE........ OUR SMALL GROUP WAS
HAVING TROUBLE COMPETING WITH THE LARGER
FRATERNITIES ON CAMPUS FOR NEW MEMBERS. WE
FINALLY DECIDED THAT WE COULD DRAW INTEREST
TO OUR GROUP BY HAVING AN UNUSUAL INITIATION.
IT DIDN'T TAKE US LONG TO FIGURE OUT SOMETHING
TRULY DIFERENT, AND THEN WE LET WORD GET OUT
ABOUT IT. THE INITIAL RESPONSE WAS JUST TWO
APPLICANTS. THE SEVEN OF US WERE SOMEWHAT
DISAPPOINTED, BUT WE KNEW THAT IF THESE TWO
PASSED THE INITIATION AND WERE ACCEPTED INTO
OUR FRATERNITY, THEY WOULD DRAW MANY MORE
BECAUSE THEY REPRESENTED TWO LARGE INTEREST
GROUPS ON CAMPUS. THE FIRST ONE, I'LL CALL HIM
JIM, WAS ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR FOOTBALL PLAYERS
THAT YEAR, A BIG, HUSKY BRUTE, NOT TOO SMART, BUT
REALLY QUITE FRIENDLY. THE OTHER, HAROLD, WAS ONE
OF THE CAMPUS "BRAINS" ONE OF THOSE PERSONABLE
BOOK-WORMS THAT LEADS THE INTELLECTUAL CROWD.
ANYWAY, WE TOLD THE TWO OF THEM THAT THEY WERE
ACCEPTED FOR INITIATION IF THEY WOULD FOLLOW OUR
INSTRUCTIONS EXACTLY. THE EVENING OF INITIATION,
WE TOOK THEM OUT ON AN OLD COUNTRY ROAD TO WHAT
WAS REPUTED TO BE THE AREA'S SCARIEST HAUNTED
HOUSE. IT WAS AN OLD DESERTED MANSION UP ON A
HILL. AND THE BARREN TREES AROUND IT BROKE THE
CHILL MOONLIGHT INTO EERIE DESIGNS. WE GAVE
EACH FELLOW A SMALL HATCHET AND A CANDLE WHICH
WOULD BURN FOR ONLY TEN MINUTES. WE THEN TOLD
THEM THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO ENTER THE OLD HAUNTED
HOUSE SEPARATELY AND REMAIN INSIDE FOR TWENTY MINUTES.
JIM, OUR HUSKY ATHLETE, WAS DELEGATED TO GO FIRST.
WE LIT HIS CANDLE AND HE WALKED OFF TO THE HOUSE,
APPARENTLY RATHER CONFIDENT, AS IF MUCH WASN'T
BEING ASKED OF HIM. WE WAITED. TEN MINUTES WENT
BY--WE KNEW THAT HIS CANDLE WAS OUT BY NOW. ANOTHER
TEN MINUTES, AND WE WAITED FOR HIM TO COME OUT. BUT
NO SOUND CAME FROM THE HOUSE. WE WAITED A FEW MORE
MINUTES, AND THEN SENT A COUPLE OF FELLOWS AROUND
THE BACK TO SEE IF HE HAD GONE OUT THAT WAY. THEY
CAME BACK AND TOLD US THAT THE WINDOWS AND DOORS
WERE ALL BOARDED UP, APPARENTLY HE WAS STILL IN
THE HOUSE AND HAD MISUNDERSTOOD OUR INSTRUCTIONS.
WE TURNED TO HAROLD, WHO WAS RATHER NERVOUS BY
THIS TIME, LIT HIS CANDLE AND TOLD HIM TO SEND JIM
OUT WHEN HE GOT INSIDE. HE ENTERED THE HOUSE AND WE
WAITED A FEW MINUTES. NO ONE CAME OUT. TWENTY MINUTES
LATER, HAROLD'S TIME WAS UP AND YET NO ONE CAME
OUT OF THE HOUSE! WE ALL DECIDED TO GO IN AND FIND
OUT WHAT WAS GOING ON. WITH OUR FLASHLIGHTS IT WAS
EASY TO FOLLOW THEIR FOOTSTEPS THROUGH THE DUST ON
THE FLOORS. BOTH SETS LED TO A LARGE STAIRCASE.
OBVIOUSLY HAROLD HAD FOLLOWED JIM'S WHEN HE HAD GONE
IN. UPSTAIRS, WE FOLLOWED THE PRINTS TO A SMALL DOOR
SET IN THE CORNER IN ONE WING. THERE WERE NO TRACKS
COMING OUT OF THE ROOM. WE TRIED OPENING THE DOOR
BUT IT SEEMED JAMMED. FINALLY, IT CREAKED OPEN.
INSIDE....OH! IT WAS TERRIBLE!! LATER, WE WERE ABLE
TO FIGURE OUT WHAT HAD HAPPENED. APPARENTLY, JIM
HAD REACHED THE SMALL ROOM JUST BEFORE HIS CANDLE
HAD GONE OUT. THEN, WHEN THE DOOR JAMMED, HIS MIND
SNAPPED. WHEN HAROLD GOT TO THE ROOM BY FOLLOWING
JIM'S FOOTSTEPS, HE PRIED OPEN THE DOOR, AND THEN
WAS HORRIBLY ATTACKED AND...AND...CHOPPED UP BY
THE MADDENED JIM. JIM WAS IN A STATE OF SHOCK
WHEN WE FOUND HIM. HE HAD TO BE COMMITTED TO AN
ASYLUM. IT NATURALLY WAS THE END OF OUR FRATERNITY.
OUR SHAME AND GUILT WERE SO DEEP FELT THAT THE SEVEN
OF US MADE A VOW THAT EACH YEAR ONE OF US WOULD
RETURN TO THIS TERRIBLE SCENE TO REMIND US OF OUR
FOLLY. THAT WAS SEVEN YEARS AGO. EACH YEAR ONE OF
US HAS GONE BACK, BUT...BUT EACH YEAR THE ONE WHO
HAS GONE BACK NEVER RETURNS! I'M THE LAST ONE...I'VE
GONE BACK, I VISITED THE OLD HOUSE AND READ THE SMALL
MEMORIAL WE PLACED THERE TELLING OF THAT NIGHT. I'M
THE LAST ONE. I'VE GONE BACK...AND NOTHING'S HAPPENED
TO ME YET...YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Submitter comment: AT THIS POINT THE TELLER SCREAMS AND MAKES A
SUDDEN LURCH FOR THE PERSON SITTING NEXT TO HIM. HEARD IN DETROIT,
MICHIGAN IN 1962.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Date learned: 00-00-1962