Mist and Mystery

Letters From the Lake, Day Two: The Greenman Door

Beautiful as it is, the light here is strange, mysterious and given to fading unexpectedly into shadow. As darkness wraps itself like a sleepy cat around our cabin, the wind whispers of secrets and legends. Earlier, I could have sworn I caught a glimpse of something that looked like a little door in the side of a hill. Could that be? Tomorrow, I will climb up there and see what there is to see...

The woods around Indian Lake are thick and deep, and many are the tales of the secrets they hold. Some say there was once a black ops government installation here, where children were test subjects in psychic warfare experiments. Some say that on moonless nights you can hear the ghost of an Indian guide calling for his wife who was lost in the lake. Some swear that Bigfoot walks these hills. Once you're here, the stories don't seem so far fetched. In fact, a mere doorway into the hill seems downright plausible.

Setting out in dappled morning light, I retrace our route into camp armed with my camera and ready for adventure. Not far up the steep hill I spot my quarry, a low, dark entryway overgrown by trees and green with moss. Decades of fallen leaves form a springy cushion underfoot, and make the climb slippery. The saplings make great handholds, though, so the way up is fairly easy.

The opening seems to swallow light. Even this close, it is hard to see within. For a moment, I feel a frisson of apprehension, and I hesitate to get closer.

Smiling at my own silliness, but moving as quietly as possible, I take the final steps. Whatever this is, it was built to last. The structure is cinder brick, and the way in is flanked by high stone walls.

I peer into the inky black -- and am shocked to find a pale, old face peering back from the darkness.


The face belongs to a beautifully carved Greenman, guardian of the passageway within. I think to myself that this must be how Alice felt when she stumbled into Wonderland.




Now, here's where I face a dilemma. I could tell you what lies beyond the door. On the other hand, it might be a greater gift to leave it to your imagination.

Which do you choose?

Conversations for the Campfire

*The Indian Lake Project. A long-buried box holds clues to a government conspiracy, lost children, and mind control. (Home)
*Adirondack Paranormal. Ghost stories of the north woods.
*Bigfoot. Fact or fantasy?