THE CRAWLING WOMAN The tiny village of Wales, on the Seward Penisula of northwest Alaska, faces the Chukchi Peninsula of Russia, fifty miles across the Bering Strait. Before the coming of the Europeans, Wales was known as Kingen. Strange events took place in this Eskimo settlement and at least some of the stores survive in oral tradition. The tale of the woman-who-crawled-on-all-fours goes like this: In the days that have long since passed, boys fourteen or fiteen years of age left their homes to live with ofther boys in a large igloo called the Kazhgie. The kazhgie functioned as a kind of boarding school. Tribal historians taught the culture and traditions of their tribe. While the elders worked, the boys watched and learned how to make and use the weapons. The boys there were not allowed to leave the igloo. But one late afternoon when a troublemaker spotted a young girl passing the kazhgie and he went off after her. The boys knew that they wouldn�t be caught at any mischief-making. With that reason, the boys all rushed outdoors, caught the little girl and physically abused her. When the girl was able to set herself free she ran screaming to her grandmother, with whom she lived alone. The grandmother, after listening to the sobbing child�s story, determinded to teach the rascals a lesson they�d never forget. She painted her face with ugly streaks and patterns, then turned around to her granddaughter. �They�ll be scared of me no, won�t they?� The little girl shook her head and cried pitifully, �No! oh no! That will make them laugh.� The old woman then smeared soot over her face and rubbed ashes into her hair. But the child wiped her tears and shook her head again. �There�s no use, Grandmother. You can never scare those boys. You wouldn�t even scare me.� The grandmother tought for a moment, then knew what she has to do. Turning her back, she went into a dark corner and removed all her clothes. With a sharp knife, she cut long, deep gashes in every part of her body. Then she got down on hands and knees and crawled toward the child, leaving a bloody trail behind her. The little girl cried and covered her face at the horrible sight. She knew that her grandmother would now terrify every boy in the kazhgie. When the sun had set, the old women crawled toward the kazhgie. Her movements slowed as her strength ebbed and the blood drained from her body. Standing just outside the igloo was a boy named Ahmezuk, the only fellow who had not abused the girl. He heard something coming toward him grew frightened because he could not see what it was. He turned and ran inside to tell the other boys, but they called him a liar and made up a wicked song that poked fun at him. With tears-filled eyes, Ahmezuk turned around and saw the terrible �thing� entering the igloo. The figure was smeared with blood and the eyes seemed to come from the top of its head. Ahmenzuk ran into a dark corner, bit his fingers and pushed them into a crack in the wall. As his fingers swelled the crack held him fast, and he prayed that the �thing� could not pry him lose. Both of his hands ached and tears ran down his cheeks. The �thing� pushed through the main door and the boys could not take their eyes off it, nor could they scream their fears. Only one boy yelled � A ghost woman!� As the old lady crawled in a circle around the room the boys, mesmerized by the movement, crawled after her. Six tiems the torn and bloodied figure circle the room, all the wile beckoning Ahmezuk to follow her. But of course he could not, even had he wanted to. With a hideous grunt the ghost left the igloo, crossed the tundra, and started up the mountainside. The boys followed. The next morning the men returned to the village. By this time Ahmezuk�s knees trembled with fatigue and he felt faint. Hearing someone pass by the kazhgie, he called out. A man found him immediately and aked where the other boys were. �they were all taken away by a ghost�, cried Ahmezuk. All the villagers gathered at the igloo to free the poor boy. They had the cut away a portion of the wall before they got his fingers loose. Then they followed the tracks of the ghost and the boys. At the summit of the mountain they found the frozen bodies of all the boys. None was buried because each one had turned to stone. There was no sign of the old grandmother. It is siad that you can see them on the mountainside behind the village of Wales-grim reminders of boys who disobeyed their elders. (Haunted America) |
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