For The Love Of All Things Sacred

Published on Wednesday, April 14, 2010 by Katherine

Some of you may remember last year’s nor’easter that took down a tree in my backyard. And with it? A tree house, trampoline, swing set, playset with slide, clothesline, fence and half of a Japanese maple.

Eventually we saved enough money to have the remaining tree cut out, although the stump was left standing. If I included the stump in the job, it would have been even more money. And by then my daughter had already claimed it as the next back yard climbing apparatus.

For a few weeks, Elizabeth would stand on the stump, flip over it and sit on it. That is, until it came to life. And started to ooze. Vivid day glow orange blood.

I don’t know if it was the full moon, the change of the season or simply a spell cast on it by a mischievous sprite. But what I do know is the tree stump is now alive. And bleeding.

Over the course of two weeks, my daughter now walks around the stump – almost shivering as she passes. She has told me under no uncertain terms that the stump gives her the creeps. And she wants it out. NOW.

What I haven’t told her is what I saw late Saturday night. I was mindlessly gazing out of the kitchen window at the eerie glowing stump. It was then that the orange ooze began to move. To practically slither and crawl as an image slowly began to form in the middle of the dripping tree remains.

Squinting, I tried to bring the figure in to focus. And that is when I saw the yellow glowing eyes staring back at me.

I cannot tell you what happened after that. For the tale is far too gruesome to share with such innocent readers. But what I will tell you is this. If you ever have a tree taken out of your backyard… remove the stump. For the love of all things sacred… REMOVE THE STUMP!