The Incident at Blackgrove

Chapter 3: The Festival, Pt.1 (The Second Dream)

The Festival Part 1: The Second Dream

My second night at the Blackgrove Motel brought a sleep that was just as deep as the first, but was significantly more disturbing.  I'll never forget it.  I had a dream about the Fox-Man again, but this time, Willa was in it.

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THE SECOND DREAM

My first dream was a little more out of place and a little more concerning, given the things I'd seen that day.  This dream almost just seemed like a normal nightmare, brought about by my thoughts about Willa and the foxes I'd been seeing, as well as my mental stress, but I still woke up concerned.  Besides, a pattern had been emerging.

The dream started in the same black void, but this time, there was no Fox-Man, just a spotlight on a black wall.  Then, a small part of the wall opened, like a door, and out of it came the Fox-Man, who had bent down so his tall frame could fit through the opening.  I, as if I were a camera, followed him into a curious room.  It looked like a wooden shack.  The floor was covered in wood shavings.

There was also a large, wooden work bench in the center of the room, and on it was Willa.  She was naked and seemed drugged or delirious.  "Dakota, come lie with me!" she said.  Her wrists and ankles were tied to the bench and she couldn't move.  The Fox-Man got in close to me and said, "since you're here, you might as well watch."  He turned back to Willa and pulled a bone saw out of his apron.  In the background, a bunch of mannequin arms crawled out of some wooden crates toward Willa.    

I watched on in horror, helpless.  Though asleep, I could feel myself breaking into a cold sweat.  I wanted to yell out and warn her, but nothing came out.  I was truly just an observer.  The Fox-Man raised his bone saw and brought it to her neck.  I was screaming as loud as I could, and again, nothing came out.  I watched, horrified, as the Fox-Man began sawing her neck in twain with decisive, slow, aggressive cuts.  Back and forth, back and forth, the saw cut into her neck as blood poured out of her.  The agony on her face was too horrific to look at, and yet, I could not look away.  I heard a thump as her head hit the floor and the floor filled with red.  Her body twitched once and then lay motionless on the bench as the mannequin parts started covering her headless body.  The Fox-Man suddenly yelled out in child-like fascination, reaching down for her head, "whoa! That's so coo--"

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It was at this point, thankfully, that I woke up, although I still thought I had seen and heard too much.  I woke up panicking, short of breath.  It took me a full ten seconds to realize that she wasn't actually dead and that it was just a nightmare.  God, I couldn't truly tell you just how terrible that nightmare made me feel.  At that point, I had only spent one day with Willa, and though I liked her and thought she was a kind person, I was surprised at how much I cared.

It also could've been just an instinctual response to seeing someone's head being cut off, but knowing what I think about her now, my judgement is a little bit clouded in that regard.  The bit about her being naked, I'm ashamed to say, could've been due to sexual frustration, but it also could've been an analogy for vulnerability.  Truth be told, I was too horrified to even focus on that.   

The thing that got me most (besides the beheading) was the way that the Fox-Man spoke after cutting off her head.  He sounded like a little kid that had just pulled off an amazing trick on his skateboard.  I didn't quite hear the rest of what he was trying to say, but I could put it together.  His haunting words ringed in my head, over and over. 

I looked at the time.  3:17 am.  I couldn't go back to sleep (or wouldn't), so I didn't.  It's a good thing I got all that sleep the night before.  I hadn't gotten Willa's number or other contact info, but I wanted to check on her.  I would have to wait till sunrise.  Those restless hours in the dark are burned into my memory now.