Fun Campfire Ghost Stories Read online

  Fun Campfire Ghost Stories

  John Bradshaw

  Smashwords Edition

  Copyright John Bradshaw

  Discover other titles by John Bradshaw at Smashwords.com

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This book is available in print at most on line retailers

  Cover design by John Bradshaw

  Cover photograph by Piotr Liqeza – Fotolia.com

  All rights reserved.

  John Bradshaw’s website; www.eaglewingsbradshaw.com

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  Contents

  Chapter 1 - Before we get started

  Chapter 2 - Do you smell that?

  Chapter 3 - The little ghost that was afraid

  Chapter 4 - The ride

  Chapter 5 - The coffin

  Chapter 6 - Prized possession

  Chapter 7 - The little vampire bat

  Chapter 8 - The dare

  Chapter 9 - Directions

  Chapter 10 - Jimmy’s summer job

  Chapter 11 - Building maintenance

  Chapter 12 - The cub scout

  Chapter 13 - The long sales call

  Chapter 14 - The viper

  Chapter 15 - The full moon

  Chapter 16 - Spell check

  Chapter 17 - A boy’s best friend forever

  Chapter 18 - Red sloppity lips

  Chapter 19 - The fearless one

  Chapter 20 - What Mark always wanted

  Chapter 21 - The animal army

  Chapter 22 - The luckiest man who did not know it

  Chapter 23 - Poor Rufus

  Chapter 24 - The Nicren

  Chapter 25 - The old lady

  Chapter 26 - A few parting thoughts

  About the author

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  Chapter 1 - Before we get started

  Ask just about any kid what they want to do on a camping trip at night and they will tell you they want to hear ghost stories. Can you think of anything that they pay attention to in silence, as a group, longer than a good ghost story? The only problem, especially for younger readers/listeners, is that most scary stories end with a scary ending. This keeps their imagination at an elevated level which is sure to cause sleepless nights for themselves and maybe others.

  Most of the stories in this book have suspenseful, imagination filled story lines, but end in a funny, some may say silly way. It has never failed that when the listener has responded with the comment, “that was silly” at the end of a story, they are always first to say yes to the question, would you like to hear another? The stories generate excitement and imagination however the pressure is relieved at the end of the story making the overall experience a fun one.

  These stories were designed for easy reading or for recital through memorization. If you are reading the stories to others, it is always best to pre-read the story so that you know the content, where to pause for effect, where to change your voice and where to incorporate movement or gestures to enhance the story telling experience. If you plan on reciting from memorization, don’t worry about getting every word correct. This is how stories take on life and various forms, get personalized and become folklore by their retelling through time. The major elements and the flow of the story is the important part as the story heads to its conclusion. Always remember your audience. Even some stories with funny endings may still scare some younger folks which may compromise their overall experience.

  This collection of stories originated from various verbal sources and some are totally original. They have been accumulated in the mind over the years. Some of these stories I heard as a cub scout, some as a camper and then as a counselor at summer camp in North Carolina. Others I have heard in various forms, from my three boys and their friends on outings and as I preparing to write this book. This type of story telling is unique in that the stories become modified, revised and added too over time making them a tradition that gets passed down from generation to generation. These stories are heard and then retold over and over. The really good ones survive time and become a staple of every camping trip, as important as a sleeping bag and a fire.

  I had a lot of fun putting these together, but my objective is for the young readers/listeners out there, hearing these stories for the first time, to truly have an enjoyable experience and decide that this book is a definite keeper.

  Now, is everyone ready for some campfire stories?

  Let’s get going.

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  Chapter 2 - Did you smell that?

  Daniel and I had just gotten into our tent when the rain got heavier. Luckily, we had just finished hearing ghost stories around the fire minutes before. This has been the best summer yet at camp! Daniel and I had become best friends and I liked every one in our cabin. Our counselor, Bob, was a college student and was a really good guy.

  This was our first cabin overnight camping trip. Even though our camping spot was just on the other side of the lake, walking the path through the tall pine trees made you feel like you were in the middle of nowhere. We had set up our tents, laid out our sleeping bags and gathered wood for the fire. Bob started the fire and in a short while we were roasting hot dogs on sticks. The baked beans, potato chips and even the carrot sticks tasted great. As a matter of fact, everything tastes great on a camping trip. The best part about dinner was desert. Roasted marshmallows put in between two graham crackers with a piece of milk chocolate, fantastic smores. Bob won the baked bean and marshmallow eating contest.

  After dinner we had to clean up and put the garbage up in a tree so animals would not get into it at night. The sun had gone down and it was getting dark so Bob told us to brush our teeth and get ready for ghost stories. I could not wait. I loved a good ghost story. It was like your entire world is wrapped up in the story for as long as it lasts. Fun, Fun, Fun…

  We gathered around the campfire, its wavy yellowish light danced off the faces of my cabin mates. Bob threw a couple of more logs on the fire as red embers floated up into the night sky and disappeared. He sat down on a short log turned on end, facing us. The first story that Bob told was about a giant purple gorilla. It was a great story with a great ending and we wanted more. Bob’s next story was about a little ghost that was afraid and then the story of a hunted house. It was getting late and you know... there is no sleeping late on a camping trip, so Bob said he had one more story before it was time to sack out.

  Bob’s last story was about a huge hairy monster known as Big Foot that roamed these woods. It was half man, half ape that did not like anybody coming into its woods. It moved around mostly at night and had a terrible smell like you’ve never smelled before. This creature stood ten feet tall, strong enough to tear up trees, had long fangs and claws, and did I mention, smelled terrible? The fire was burning down to a pile of glowing embers and darkness was advancing further into our campsite as Bob continued. Last summer, he said, two campers disappeared, believed taken by Big Foot because they went outside their tent after lights out. Their fate to terrible to think about! Bob ended the story and said that he was going to bed because his stomach was upset from eating all those hotdogs, beans and marshmallows. He told all of us to hit the hay and would see us in the morning. The timing was great because it had just started to sprinkle rain.

  Anyway, Daniel and I zipped up our sleeping bags and laid there looking at the inside top o
f our tent. We talked quietly for a few minutes about the stories we had just heard and how they did not scare us. Sleep soon overcame us. Suddenly, I was awakened by a snapping wood sound. I laid there listening. I could tell the rain had stopped and there was just silence and darkness. Then I heard what sounded like somebody or something walking through the campsite. I reached over and shook Daniel until he woke up. He asked what time it was and I said that I had no idea. I told Daniel about what I had heard and we both laid there motionless, straining to hear something, but hoping not to. The silence was broken by the sharp crack of another piece of wood. It had to be something heavy to make that large a snap, I thought. Daniel and I decided that if we could only get over to Bob’s tent we would be ok. Daniel and I unzipped our sleeping bags and opened the front flap of our tent. It was really dark and we could not see or hear anything so we moved slowly towards Bob’s tent. When we got to Bob’s tent we found that the zipper to the front flap was stuck and would not open. We heard the rustling of bushes behind us. We had forgotten our flashlights so all we could do is turn and meet our fate. We could see the bushes moving. It looked like something big was stripping the leaves off. At that moment we were overcome by a horrendous smell. Then, for a moment, there was silence but the horrible smell lingered. Daniel and I looked at each other and, at that moment, remembered the Big Foot ghost story. Sounds of footsteps were heading our way. The footsteps were coming from the bushes. They were getting closer and closer, almost upon us when we yelled “Boobbb!!” Suddenly, a bright light shown in our faces that made us close our eyes. Then a voice said, “What are you guys doing out of your tent?” To our relief, Daniel and I realized that it was Bob’s voice in front of us, but why was he outside his tent walking around making noises in the bushes? Bob explained that eating all those beans, hotdogs and marshmallows the night before had upset his stomach and he was finally able to use the bathroom

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  Chapter 3 - The little ghost that was afraid

  In an old rundown deserted house on the edge of town lived a family of ghosts. The Mommy and Daddy ghosts would go out every night and haunt and scare the people in town and those passing through town. You know, that most ghosts have jobs similar to this one.

  The little ghost did not like to go out at night, even with the Mommy and Daddy ghosts, because he was afraid of the dark and all the screaming that people did when he was around.

  Anyway, one day the people in town came and tore down the old house they lived in so the ghost family had to find a new place to live. There was the old factory that had shut down the year before on the other side of town and there was the old five and dime store that had been vacant for some time downtown. They thought about it and decided that the old five and dime store was the place to call home since it was the oldest building and already had a lot of cobwebs, dust and squeaky doors and floors. This meant that they could move right in and the Mommy ghost would not have to do a lot of decorating.

  The very first night in their new home, the Mommy and Daddy ghosts went to work while the little ghost stayed home. The little ghost decided he would look around his new home and do some exploring. He went down the halls at the back of the store and peaked into this old room and that old room. He eventually came to a door that had a sign on it which said MENS ROOM.

  The little ghost though, if there are any men in there, I need to scare them out of our new house! So the little ghost floated through the door into the room. When the little ghost’s eyes focused, he saw the most horrifying sight. He turned and, frightened past death, rushed out of the room, up the hallway and hid in a corner until the Mommy and Daddy ghosts got home from work around dawn.

  The little ghost told the Mommy and Daddy ghosts what had happened to him and said that they must move somewhere else since this place was evidently the home of the most terrifying thing he had ever seen.

  The Daddy ghost said, “Show me,” so the little ghost started down the hall while pleading with the Daddy ghost not to make him go back into that room. When they arrived at the room with the sign on it the Daddy ghost told the little ghost to wait there while he went in. The Daddy ghost looked around the room and found nothing but a couple of old boxes, a broken sink and toilet, some old newspaper and an old mirror on the wall. Nothing creepy in here, he though to himself.

  The Daddy ghost floated out of the room back into the hallway where the little ghost was waiting. “Did you see it?” asked the little ghost, “Did you see it?” “NO,” came the response. “Now tell me exactly what you saw when you went into that room,” the Daddy ghost said to the little ghost. Shivering at having to relive that terrifying event, the little ghost, holding back tears, said, “When I went into the room, I looked around and went up to the mirror. As I looked into the mirror, I SAW IT! It … (the little ghost was sobbing now)… it was a Ghost!”

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  Chapter 4 - The ride

  Ben had a rule not to hitchhike because he knew that it could be dangerous, but his car was in the repair shop and a terrible thunderstorm was bearing down on him. Ben had just finished working the night shift at the sock factory. It was a very dark night and although he planned on walking home, the lightning bolts streaking through the night sky and the thunder getting louder made him think again. The wind picked up and sheets of blowing rain starting to descend.

  Ben decided that, just for tonight, he would break his own rule and try to get a ride home. After several minutes the storm was almost on top of him and because it was late, there seemed to be no cars on the road. Soon the storm became so strong that Ben could hardly see a few feet ahead of himself. Suddenly, he saw a car come toward him in the distance and then stop. Ben, thinking that his prayers had been answered, battled the strong wind and rain the short distance to the waiting car. Without thinking about it, Ben opened the door, got in and closed the door behind him. Only then did he realize that there was nobody behind the wheel!

  Suddenly, the car started to move forward very slowly. Ben was startled and did not know what to do. He looked ahead down the road and saw that the car was moving toward dead man’s curve. Ben knew that this curve in the road got its name from having claimed many lives. For you see, that on the other side of the curve was a cliff that dropped three hundred feet straight down into an old abandoned rock quarry. Petrified that he was to be dead man’s curve next victim, Ben started to pray, begging for his life. He had not come out of shock when, just before the car hit the curve, a hand suddenly appeared through the open driver’s side window and moved the steering wheel just enough so the car made the curve and did not plunge over the cliff. Ben, now paralyzed with terror, watched how the hand appeared every time the car was approaching a curve as it moved down the road driverless.

  Finally, although terrified, Ben managed to open the door and jump out of the moving car. Without looking back, Ben ran through the storm all the way into town. Soaking wet, exhausted and in a state of utter shock, the pale, visibly shaken man, walked into a nearby restaurant and ordered a cup of coffee.

  Then, still trembling with fright, he started telling everybody in the restaurant about the horrible experience he just went through with the spooky car with no driver and the mysterious hand that kept appearing through the window of the car. Everyone in the restaurant stared in silence and became frightened, listening to his eerie story. Hairs stood on end when they realized that there must be some truth to this creepy tale because he was crying and appeared to be truly disturbed by his ordeal.

  About half an hour later, two guys walked into the same restaurant and sat down at the counter. One of the men looked down at the far end of the counter, saw the man who had just told the strange story and said to the other guy with him, “Hey, there’s the guy Who Jumped out of the car while we were pushing it!”

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  Chapter 5 - The coffin

  Jim had just arrived home from the war. Things had been so exciting during combat that being home was somewhat a bore. He was looking for som
ething exciting to do when an old friend of his called him up and asked him to stop by for a visit. Jim looked forward to seeing Sam since he was an old high school friend that he had not seen in years.

  Jim arrived at Sam’s house and the two old friends spent several hours catching up on what each other had been doing over the years. Sam was surprised to learn the Jim was a highly trained Special Forces soldier and that he had been involved in many high risk missions during the war. Sam, on the other hand, had gone into real estate management.

  After hearing what Jim had done during the war and the type of dangerous operations he had been involved in, Sam thought that Jim just might be the guy to take care of a problem that he had. Sam asked Jim if he might be interested in a job that would pay very well and put his expertise to use. Jim indicated that he would like to hear more.

  There once was a man named Matthews who had some very shady business dealings that had caused a lot of people, who invested money in his business, to lose everything. Matthews had made a lot of enemies, but he did not seem to care. One morning, Sam said, Matthews and his entire family were found brutally murdered in their house. No one was ever tried or arrested for the murders. Most people thought it was probably someone that Matthews had cheated and no one cared about what had happened to Matthews.