I’ve never been one to believe those stories that old cub scouts would tell around the campfire at Halloween, at least not until I experienced it myself. I guess I always enjoyed being one of the sceptics, it made life that much easier believing everything could be explained, then came that one night and my outlook changed completely. I figure I can pass it on to you and you can decide for yourself.It was a cold November night, ironically only a few days after Halloween. I was driving down the old Corrigan road, the local town bypass. I tended never to take that route at night, but there was a full moon leaving things pretty well lit and it could shave 15 minutes off my drive home. It was past one o’clock, and I was a bit tired, but when I saw that first plume of smoke I knew what it was, clouds don’t hang that low and often aren’t that black.I pulled off to the side and grabbed my cell phone, dialling 911, only to realize there was no service in that low part of the valley. Wanting to get an idea of what I was dealing with, before driving back to make the call, I took my old flash light and walked down the road concentrating on the direction of the smoke. When I think back I don’t know why I didn’t just take the car, but I wasn’t expecting to go too far, at least not until I came upon the old driveway.This changed things dramatically, it wasn’t just a possible forest fire, lives could be at stake. I picked up my pace almost running down the narrow drive. It had to be about a quarter mile before it ended at the clearing with old Victorian farmhouse at its centre.I ran to the front door pounding as hard as I could while shouting, “Fire! Fire!” It wasn’t the most original idea but usually proved effective.Looking around I could see no car, the lights were out, so maybe no one was home. Then I noticed the flames dancing across the roof peak and knew I couldn’t take that chance.I tried the door, amazingly it wasn’t locked, only country people live like that although most do the locking with a shotgun in their bedroom.I entered cautiously creeping down the hall heading towards the stairs. The smoke was filtering downwards, a bad sign considering smoke always rises. I kept low as I ascended, with maybe a foot of breathable air. When I reached the first door I heard a dog bark, a sign of life after all, but there wouldn’t be for long at this rate. The door was locked but cool to the touch meaning the fire had not yet reached this spot.I took a deep breath and rose from the floor bashing a couple of times with my shoulder. It hurt but the third time it gave. I looked over at the bed and saw a couple lying there, I was sure I was too late. I ran over and shook them while shouting, the man awoke coughing, but the woman was unconscious“We have to get out of here!” I yelled. “Is there anyone else in the house?”“My kids, they’re in the bedroom down the hall. I have to get them!”I grabbed him by the shoulders to calm him. “You have to carry your wife out, I will get the kids.” Being a volunteer fireman I understood that with the fire upstairs it may be too late and the father might still try to do something desperate that would only get him killed as well. After following them to the stairs, to make sure of no detours, I moved slowly back down the hall. I felt each door, the two on the left side were hot, but the one on the right could be opened, and I prayed that this was the right one.The room was filled with heavy smoke and I could hear a crackling noise above me but the two young children lay quiet on their twin beds. Having no time to check their condition I snatched up one in each arm and ran to the stairwell, with only a few seconds to spare before the ceiling began to cave.Jumping the stairs, two at a time, I was coughing like a mad man when I got to the door. The father ran over and I noticed the woman was sitting up so at least she was all right. I felt something wriggling in my left arm, and heard a small cry from my right, it was a miracle but I had gotten them all out safely.I know, at this point, you are thinking what a courageous story, but there is nothing unexplained about that. Well what came afterwards is a little on the strange side.The family hugged and tears flowed, it was like a scene from the Walton’s, of course that was when the dog barked, again.“Trixie!” The little girl shouted. “Where’s Trixie?” I turned and started for the door, the man catching my sleeve. “You can’t go back just for a dog. She’ll find her way out.”I glared at him, then looked at the children with their eyes full of tears. I pulled away and ran back in. Trixie was barking furiously now, and it seemed to be coming from the dining room, which at least was downstairs so I had time.Coming into the room I first focused on the dog, then shifted my eyes to direction it was barking in. What I saw was a vision I will never forget. Walking through the kitchen towards us was a man in a black hooded robe. I couldn’t make out a face, yet I was both unsettled and mesmerized by the form.The dog barked shrilly once more startling me from my stare. I had run in to save Trixie but in the end it is likely Trixie saved me. I thought of yelling to the guy to get out, but the way he was so calmly and deliberately walking through the flames I decided he could find his own way out.The figure had made it part way into the dining room and I had to get past, but still didn’t want to go near. I could feel the scorching heat coming from his direction and when I said before he walked through the flames, I now remember that it was more like the flames were following him as he walked.Not about to stand there and reason this through, I grabbed the dog and ran, feeling a sharp pain on my back as I ducked down the hall. I managed to get every living thing out before the house was completely engulfed, or so I thought.Once in the yard I asked the man if anything else was in that house. I didn’t say anyone, somehow I could only say anything. He looked at me strangely and said other than the few sticks of furniture everything truly valuable had been saved. I stood for a couple of minutes watching the blaze waiting for it to come out, but it never did.Trying to return to reality, I could see the next step was to get back to my car and my phone in order to get help.“Look, I have to phone the fire department, can you guys come with me down to my car, it’s just by the end of the driveway?”The man shook his head. “My wife is too weak, we’ll wait here, don’t worry and thank you.”I thought about arguing that it wasn’t safe, but none of the trees appeared to be catching, the clearing was too large. “Okay, I shouldn’t be long, you just be careful.”Reluctantly I ran to the road and got in my car deciding that I could just go a few hundred yards up the hill to see if the phone might work there. Sure enough it did and I called 911.“What is the nature of your emergency?” Was the reply“A fire, and there’s a family that may be suffering smoke inhalation. I need police, fire, and ambulance.”“Where sir? I’m not getting an address.”“It’s a cell phone. I’m on Corrigan Rd., Pall township. I can’t give you the emergency number, I didn’t see one.”“Okay we’ll pass it on to the local authorities, they should be there momentarily.”I hung up and drove back hoping to get the family farther to safety, but clouds had covered the moon and I could no longer see the driveway. I couldn’t believe I lost them and now was more worried than ever. Two minutes passed and a siren blared through the night. By that time I had started looking for the drive on foot with no luck. A single police car appeared and I flagged the officer down.“Are you the guy who reported the fire.” He said sternly.I was insulted by the way he spoke, almost as though he thought I was a crank. I answered, “Yes, it’s an old farmhouse just in from the road a bit. We have to hurry in case the fire spreads."“You actually saw this house?” He said scrutinizing me closely.“Yes and the family living in it.” I didn’t tell him what else I had seen he would have figured I was nuts for sure. “Get any names?”At that moment, it hit me I had never asked. “Look the house is a total loss but the people are cold and need medical attention. Where is the ambulance?”“There isn’t one. I was sent to check this out first. You see sir there hasn’t been a house on this road in twenty-five years. The only one burned to the ground and it was so remote no one survived.”“That’s ridiculous. I saw the house, I ran in it and saved the family. Even the dog Trixie!”“Once a year we usually get a call like this, a fire on the Corrigan Rd. It’s become sort of a local legend and we can’t take it serious. Gotta admit though you are the first one to ever claim to have rescued them. Now unless you can show me a house and a fire I suggest you move along.”The officer was pretty blunt however no matter how hard I tried I could see no flames rising above the trees, as there probably should have been by then. I shook my head, thinking of everything I had seen and everything that had happened. It couldn’t have been my imagination but there was no sign of the house, the driveway, or the people. Not even a burnt twig, it was all gone.I know most of you are thinking what a beautiful tall tale, in fact I’d say that too, but you see you wouldn’t say that if you could see my back. Some two weeks after my encounter it still hurt and when I finally got the courage to look at it in a mirror I found the scar, quite probably permanent, and it is curiously burnt in the exact shape of a hand.I don’t know what I saw that night, and I don’t know if it was in that house some twenty-five years earlier, I only hope I never see that thing again as long as I live or beyond.
