I’m posting a few things this month in light of some news and some continuing stories from the local area.
First of all, to let all my patient subscribers know, I have been diligently working on my latest work in progress and am currently editing the first half of the book! While I was embroiled in this furious writing venture during the last two weeks of January, I was also getting some bizarre stories from a Mah Jongg club class I recently joined.
Here’s the story below during a coffee break at Mah Jongg last Thursday – and you guessed it, it’s something that happened at Peace Valley park once again which adds another story to the growing strangeness there! Please bear in mind that as I was hearing this account from a young couple in their thirties, we were also in the center of another county park just a few miles from Peace Valley. It added to the creepiness factor as we eventually had to disperse to the parking lot to get into our respective vehicles to go home.
The young couple who prefer to remain anonymous, work in Philadelphia and commute on the very busy Schuykill expressway. On the way home from work, they usually go home and change quickly into their jogging outfits and then proceed to their fitness center in the center of town. Since the winter has been relatively snow-free though bitter cold as it is this week, the couple felt they could do their customary walk/jog in the park instead being confined to the Planet Fitness branch near them.
I will call this couple Butch and Becky. On the particular afternoon in question, the day was already approaching dusk due to traffic on the Schuykill. As the young couple drove into the parking lot of the park, they noticed that there were less vehicles than in mild summer and fall weather. The park has three parking lots and they chose the last one which was the one closest to where the small boat ramp lay. Unlike other times where the couple remained together when out on a walk, Becky decided she wanted to walk alone and then eventually run and meet up with Butch at the other side of the lake. They were arguing in the car about a particular coworker that was problematic for Becky and the differing opinions of how to handle the coworker led to tension between the couple. Thus, Butch welcomed the short break from each other and he agreed to jog alone as there was still ample light and wasn’t concerned about Becky’s safety.
As Butch began to warm up with a brisk walk, stretching his arms over his head and flexing his muscles, he approached the edge of the lake and noted a man standing several yards away at the treeline that was adjacent to the pedestrian bridge that spanned the lake. He noted the man was standing still and in shadow. Butch could not tell how tall or what the man was wearing as it appeared that he was well into the shade of the trees in the late afternoon sun. He made for the pedestrian bridge, walking briskly now and ready to jog.
However, something appeared sinister according to Butch. He felt uneasy as he jogged. He kept turning to his right to glance at the man who appeared to be watching him as he proceeded to the other side of the lake. He was already halfway up the path on the bridge, when he turned his eyes to the man again and this time didn’t spot him. Butch wondered why the man, in this cold weather, just stood and watched in the shelter of the trees. It would have been colder standing still, and even colder under the forest canopy. Butch’s uneasiness somewhat lifted when he was finally just a few yards from the other side of the lake when he turned his head to the right again. This time, he spotted the man again, but the man appeared to have followed him and was now within the tree line as before, but closer to the side of the bridge Butch was about to pass. Butch wondered if the man was planning on crossing paths with him and began observing the man more closely to see if he was armed. The man was definitely alone, was wearing a dark outfit which seemed inappropriate for the weather and the occasion.
The sense of concern and unease ratcheted in Butch as he feared for his wife who was running alone to meet up with him. He finally reached the other side of the lake and found himself stumbling in his harried state on the beach. He kept turning to watch where the man was, but the man had not moved from his most recent position.
Butch broke into a run as the beach ended and the path wove towards the trees. He was meeting Becky by the small boathouse which had a snack bar in the summer. He felt his breath as he increased his speed, now running not simply to condition himself, but with a sense of urgency to reunite with Becky who should be appearing ahead of him if she was jogging.
Suddenly, Butch spots a familiar figure in the small but well-worn path: The man. In shock, Butch wondered how the man appeared so quickly since he last spotted him far off on the other edge of trees. It seemed that the man had to run to catch up and be ahead. Butch’s apprehensions were right. The man was following him and appeared to have chosen to ambush him for some reason. Butch’s halting steps gave way to an almost complete stop as he dug in his pockets for his pen or anything sharp. He felt that perhaps he was being paranoid, but the sense of unease followed with every visual sighting of the strange man. Perhaps he needed help, but it was unlikely. The man didn’t appear armed, but his strange silence put Butch on edge.
Reluctant to change paths as Becky may be confronted by the strange man, Butch took out his car clicker which had an alarm button. He wondered if he could activate the alarm and if that would be enough to deter the stranger.
Becky broke through the path, walking briskly towards the man. Butch’s breath caught and he ran headlong into the path towards the strange figure. As he got closer, he noticed the man was wearing, of all things, a black hat which he could now clearly see matched the color of his clothing which was formal and inappropriate. He sensed something foreboding and a feeling of isolation permeated his being.
Butch yelled at Becky as she waved upon seeing her husband, unaware of the man just yards in her path. She stopped and looked around as he yelled to watch the man ahead of her.
In one swift movement, the man seemed to move one foot so he was behind a tree. Butch reached the tree as Becky approach and in terror, Butch saw there was no one behind it. He grabbed Becky’s hand and pulled her away towards the beach and towards the boat house where there were a few people walking. Surprised at his appearance, Becky asked Butch what had happened. Instead of a husband who was usually more relaxed, though sweaty from a workout, Butch appeared terrified, unhinged and his breathing was labored.
They didn’t see the man again, but then who would care to look deeper into the trees – or linger longer as the afternoon grew dark. They had enough and just wanted to go home and discuss what Butch had seen. Over dinner and the safety of a locked door in their home away from the park, they googled the park for other sightings, but then found that the specter Butch saw was close to an entity which was named The Hat Man.
