The Core People

Memories of a green, warm planet with blue skies were lost to the generations. The disaster had left the planet encased in clouds for several years, the long winter killed off most of the plants and animals…only the toughest weeds, some small rodents and insects survived. Eventually, after years of Winter, the dust began to settle, and one day the Sun managed to break through the clouds. In time, the Sun shone more often, the planet grew warmer, and the ice and snow melted, leaving bare the ruined landscape.

The ozone layer had been damaged by the initial blasts, with the clouds gone, the world went from a frozen ruin to a scorched wasteland…life on the surface during the day time became nearly impossible, the radiation and the ultra-violet rays of the Sun would mean a slow and painful death.

It still rained from time to time, a harsh, acid raid…that fed the sharp thorny weeds that tangled across the ground and the ruins of the old world.  Long, brown grass covered all the ground that was not choked with the weeds. Although it seemed like the world was doomed, life continued to hold on…small mammals scurried along the ground, they were mostly nocturnal, though some of the animals did venture out in the blistering sun and burning rain, by staying low and in the shadows, they were able to survive in a brutal world. The birds could not survive in the burned sky, not even at night. As the ozone layer repaired itself some of the small rodents developed bat-like wings and took to the skies at night, flourishing on the abundance of mosquitoes that bred in the stagnant ponds left behind by the acid rain, and fed on any warm-blooded life they could find as they hunted through the night. However, these creatures were not the only survivors…some remnants of humanity also survived.  

When the disaster struck, some people took to the woods and mountains, hiding in caves or underground bunkers for protection from the blasts, the radiation and the long winter that followed. A few of these people managed to live long enough to see the Sun again, only to be burned by coming out into its rays too soon. It was only those people who stayed underground and out of the Sun, in their caves and bunkers who managed to live on.   

One such bunker was situated at the edge of some woods (long ago the area had been a park) and a meadow, that was just beginning to turn from brown to green, as the world healed itself. If there was anyone to walk along the trail, they would have noticed a cement slab, curious and out of place, so far from any other structure. It was small, low to the ground, and had four small windows, two on either side, right at ground level.  

The thick tempered glass showed only darkness behind the panes; however, if someone were to look very closely at the glass…especially right after sundown, when the dusk was heavy in the sky, they might see dark gleaming eyes in the darkness, or even a glimpse of a snout pressed up against the glass. The people within, were not like we are, generations of them have lived underground, in poorly protected shelters, exposed to radiation and the ultra-violet rays, their diet consisting of the gnarled weeds, pond scum, the bloated fish that inhabited the nearby creek, and the small, low mammals that scurried through the tall grass and thistles at night.

Living like this for generations was not kind to these survivors, but it has enabled them to survive, and even thrive. Each night, as soon as it was full dark, the hatch of their bunker would crack open, and a snout appeared to test the night air. If no danger was sensed, the hatch would open and the Core People would creep out into the world, released from their small shelter for the night, to hunt and to gather, so they could survive another day. In the darkness, they would stay low to the ground, ever watchful for the large bat-like creatures that could swoop them up into the sky and oblivion.  

Some would gather the twisted weeds and pond scum from which they made their bread. Others would stealthily hunt the small mammals and lizards that scurried along the ground, their snouts sniffing for any scent that would lead them to their prey. Still others would venture to the creek to ensure that the hoses that drew the water into their shelter were clear and still functioning, and that the hose that took their waste of out the shelter was still down stream of their intake hose, and remained in good working order. If the night of hunting and gathering was good, the end of the night would mean a small fire, and a meal of fresh meat, weeds, and the rich, green pond scum bread. Stories of their past, of ancestors and ancient history, were shared around the fire, and on some occasions a strange sound similar to laughing could be heard echoing over the bleak landscape. Then, as the sun began to color the sky, the Core People would grow quiet. They would clasp their claw like hands, and raise their eyes up to the lightening sky in a moment of thanks. When they were finished, the Core People would put out the fire, take whatever food remained, and then creep back into their shelter, closing the hatch as the brutal Sun broke over the horizon.

Once inside their bunker, the Core People would store their food, clean their tiny homes, care for their children, and teach them some of what they had learned over their long years of life in the shelter. Some of the Core People could read, and would take advantage of the weak light that shown in through the windows, to read aloud from the ancient books that had been handed down over the years, to keep alive the stories of a time when the world was a different place. Finally, when their work was done, the Core People would touch each other’s heads, as a way of wishing each other a good rest, and then go to their bunks, to dream of a green and blue world, where the water runs clear and the air does not smell of sulfur and rot.

Where they could go out into the daylight.

I told my friend Beth, the story of the Core People last fall, when we visited Green Lane Park. I had noticed a small bunker near the new amphitheater, I assumed it was used for park maintenance of some sort. The top is a simple cement slab with a small metal hatch on one end, and there are two small windows on each side, right at ground level, this struck me as unusual, and reminded me of the story of the Core People, which some friends and I made up many years ago while coming down off of an acid trip, on the roof of the building we were living in during one long summer. When I told Beth the story, I enhanced it to fit the location, in the park, close to the Perkiomen Creek, but the basic premise of the story was the same. It was a fun way to share part of my past with her, and to keep the story going. One evening, about a year after I first told Beth about the Core People, we got together after work and went for a hike along the trail, walking down from Marlborough School.  

The trail starts off at the school parking lot and then winds downhill, high above the dam and the creek it feeds into. At the bottom of the hill, the trial passes underneath the road, and across a small wooden bridge, where it turns to gravel, and continues along the creek under a canopy of trees. Once out of the trees, you are in the park, and near the bunker, where the Core People lived. The walk down the trail that evening was nice, it was cool, without being cold…a perfect autumn evening. The only things that were disturbing was a strange smell as we passed above the dam, and the bike rider who almost ran us off the trail as he flew down the hill.  

We arrived at the park just before sun-down, and as we passed the bunker, I mentioned the Core People again and walked over to it. I looked into the dark windows and then jumped back, telling Beth that I saw a snout! She laughed, but also stopped and looked too…and then we walked on to the amphitheater. Ignoring the signs that asked us to keep off of the stage, we hopped up to sit on the edge of the stage and talk over serious issues of life and work and kids, while we watched the Sun sink behind the trees. As the dusk settled in over the park, we decided that it was time to start our walk back up the trail and to the car.  

As we walked past the bunker again, I told her that we needed to take care, because when the Sun went down, the Core People came out to hunt, and that they were none too friendly, especially after they caught me looking in through their windows. She laughed again, and then urged me to get moving because it was getting darker. We walked away from the bunker, and started back up the trail towards the car. Although it was still a little bit light out, as the trail led under the canopy of trees, it looked like a dark tunnel! 

Beth was a bit anxious about walking into the darkness, and so I did what any good friend would do…I teased her, and asked if she was afraid of the Core People. She smiled, but in a way that told me she was not really amused, so I stopped teasing and assured her that the path through the trees was only about a hundred yards long, and that soon we would be out of the woods and walking up the hill along the road, where it was more brightly lit. Without any further trepidation (on my part) we continued down the path and entered the woods.  

After we were only a few feet into the darkness, we heard a sound up ahead, “The Core People!” I said, and she gave me a light punch on the arm, so I stopped teasing.  Then, a moment later, we both jumped as the bike rider came out of the gloom, passing us again, as he went back toward the park. Beth gripped my arm tighter and we laughed at our fright, and then continued on up the trail. It was full dark before we were even a third of the way through the trees, there was a moon, but it was hidden by the canopy, so very little of its light got to us. Although it was a bit creepy, it was kind of nice to be so close together in the dark. I was starting to enjoy it, when I heard the sound of gravel crunching on the trail behind us. I turned around and looked, expecting to see the bike rider coming back at us, but instead, I caught a glimpse of a small figure, silhouetted against the street light set up at the beginning of the trail. The figure was low and close to the ground. It seemed to scamper across the trail and into the tall weeds. “What’s that?” Beth asked. “I don’t know, it wasn’t big enough to be a deer, maybe a fox or a raccoon?” Beth just shook her head and said that we should keep moving, “I don’t want to run into a fox or a raccoon in the dark!” I agreed and we began walking again.  

The moonlight broke through the trees every now and then, and we could also see it reflected off of the water of the creek…it was nice out, the air was sharp and cool, and we had almost forgotten about the animal or whatever it was that we saw, when we heard a splashing in the water! I stopped again (which Beth did not like) and walked toward the bank of the creek. In the darkness, I could just barely make out something moving through the water. It seemed to sense that I was there, and splashed loudly as it disappeared below the surface! “Okay, now it’s getting creepy!” Beth told me, and for the first time I also began to feel really uneasy. “The Core People you told me about…they were just made up, right?” she asked. “Oh course!” I answered, and thought for a moment that I should have been amused, but the hairs standing up on the back of my neck would not let me. “Let’s get going!” Beth said, and I nodded in agreement as we continued to walk toward the faint light at the end of the canopy. We started moving more quickly now, I kept telling myself not to panic, that it was just our imaginations getting the better of us, but still, our pace quickened. 

After only a few yards, we heard crashing in the weeds up ahead of us, and we slowed down.  Then, from behind us, we heard what sounded like a faint, low, howl.  I turned around and again I saw a hunched figure running down the path, and then diving into the ditch along the side of the trail. “Who’s there?” I called, but there was no answer, instead, I saw two eyes gleaming in the weeds. I took an unconscious step backwards and bumped into Beth, and at the same time we said: “There‘s something up ahead of us!”  

I felt a chill of fear running up my back, as Beth took my hand and squeezed hard.  “Is it a fox?” she asked.  “I don’t think so; I’m not sure what it is, but there something behind us to!”  We stood for a moment, holding hands, close to each other.  The only sound was our breathing, no insects calling to each other, no breeze rustling the leaves…then, we heard movement in the weeds again, closer this time, and the sound of something else breathing hard. We began to move forward again, and as we did, we heard what sounded like a dog growling. I actually felt a little better at the thought that it might just be a loose dog on the trail, but deep down, I really didn’t think it was a dog. All I knew at that moment was that we needed to get out of the woods as quickly and possible. “We need to move carefully, be ready to run.” I told Beth. As we walked forward, I became very aware of how the gravel crunched beneath our feet, and of the sounds of something moving towards us through the weeds…I was also growing more certain that something was ahead of us, crouching in the darkness, waiting for us to walk by and spring on us!

Despite our growing fear, we continued to move forward, walking faster and faster, we went down the middle of the path, wanting to stay away from the weeds that grew on either side of the trail, the weeds that seemed alive with rustling sounds!

What happened, happened quickly…we heard the gravel crunching behind us again, coming up on us fast!  I turned to look, just in time to see the bike rider coming back toward us, he was flying down the trail, yelling something…I never knew what it was, but I stood there frozen in the path, until Beth pulled me out of the way as the guy rode past us! I was about to turn to see where the bike rider went, but just then Beth grabbed my shoulder and whispered “look” as she pointed down the path toward the park. There, in the darkness, shadows seemed to fill in the gap in the trees!  They were long, low shadows, which they seemed to roil and thrash, and we could hear the sound of grunting, low and quiet, but cutting through the noise of the gravel crunching, and it was getting closer! 

While we were watching the shadows, from ahead of us on the trail, we heard a shout, and a loud crashing sound. We spun around to look, but saw nothing!  We should run!” I said, and Beth did not take the time to agree…she just started to run, with me right behind her! The opening in the canopy was getting bigger, and the lights of the street closer, we were almost out of the woods! I grabbed Beth’s hand and started to sprint pulling her along with me…when I tripped!

I hit the ground hard, and rolled a few times. When I stopped tumbling, I found myself staring at a shattered bicycle helmet!  I was wet, but too dark to tell with what, and I did not want to know! Instead I scooted back from it and got up on my knees only to have Beth reach out and grab my hand to pull me all the way up. Once I was on my feet, I looked down to see the bike’s tracks in the gravel, suddenly obscured by many strange looking foot prints. It looked like something had been dragged off into the bushes! I waded into the ditch and called out, but got no answer. There was more rustling in the weeds, and I took my phone out to shine some light into the darkness…I thought I saw the flash of eyes, like of an animal, but then nothing else. I went further into the weeds but only found a few stray ticks; however, as I moved deeper into the darkness a chill went up my spine.  Finally, I gave up, figuring that the bike rider was probably on his way home by now. Just then, we heard the sound of gravel crunching behind us, and then a loud, wet sound came from the darkness to our left. We looked at each other, and Beth said “Let’s get out of here!”  

I didn’t answer, just took her hand and we started running again, toward the light at the end of the trees! We made it out into the light in a few seconds, but we kept running, until we came to the overpass. Cars rolled over the bridge, but underneath, it looked dark and forbidding…past the overpass the trail went up hill, but was open and well lit. I swear I saw movement in the darkness ahead of us. We hesitated, but sounds coming from the trail behind us was motivation to keep moving! We looked at each other, but didn’t say a word, we just started running!  

We ran right up the middle of the trail, to stay away from the walls of the tunnel that ran under the roadway. I felt like I was running faster than I ever have before…and Beth kept right up with me, holding my hand tightly. We plunged into the darkness and felt the cool air grow more fetid. As we passed under the road, I heard shuffling in the darkness, and a that low grunting sound…then something brushed my ankle and I found speed I never knew I had!

In the next moment we were outside and sprinting up the hill! We got half way up before we slowed down, and had to rest! We stopped under a street light, with cars whizzing past us on the road a few feet away. We were safe!  I turned to look back toward the overpass, and thought there was movement, but it may have just been my imagination.  

Beth grabbed my hand and started pulling me up the hill again, and shouted, “Let’s go home…NOW!” We made it back up the hill without incident, though when the trail went back into the woods at the top, we cut across the grass and walked across the parking lot, and back to the car. We got in and took off!  As we were pulling away, I looked in the rearview for any sign of who or what had been stalking us in the darkness, but there was nothing, only the yellow glow of the street lights.

The next day, Beth and I were laughing at our foolishness, at being so frightened and jumping at shadows as we walked along the trail that night. Then, early the following week, when the local newspaper appeared in the supermarket, on the front page was the story of a young man in his 20’s, who had vanished in the area of Green Lane Park, while riding his bicycle. According to the story he disappeared on the same night we were there, and thought we were being chased! My heart stopped for a moment, and I was unsure of what to do!  Our story sounded crazy to me, and I was there, I could imagine what the police would have thought of it. However, I could not stay quiet. I called the police and told them that I thought the bike rider they were looking for had passed us in the darkness, and about finding the bike helmet and looking in the weeds, but not finding any sign of the rider.

They sent an officer out to talk to us, but at first, I didn’t about the shadows or noises we thought we heard, until he asked me if I thought the bike rider was trying to get away from something, or if we had seen or heard anything unusual that night. I told him we thought we heard some strange noises, and saw some shadows, but nothing more. The officer gave me a curious look, but wrote down all that I told him, and then thanked me and said “We’ll be in touch if we need anything else.”

The police never called back, and they never found the bike rider, and in time the incident was forgotten by all but his family, who held vigils on the trail every year, on the anniversary of is disappearance. However, since then, many more people have vanished in the park, all around dusk.  

The park now closes about half an hour before the sun goes down, and the Park Rangers are strict about making people leave before dark. Anyone caught on the trails at night usually gets a police escort back to Green Lane.  

We still go to the park, but never stay to see the twilight; we go during the middle of the day, when it is sunny! Recently when Beth and I were walking through the park on a warm summer day, we noticed that the long, low bunker had been completely covered over by a thick slab of cement, nothing could be seen of the hatch or the windows that were low to the ground…as I walked over to look at the slab, I swear I could hear scratching and a faint grunting sound, coming from underneath, as if something was trying to dig its way out!

Old Main

“Do you want to make the Moon come out?” she asked me. It took me a minute to realize what she meant, but when I did, I said “Sure, sounds like fun!”

It was one of those things…we were friends, and both really liked each other, but nothing more ever came of it. It’s not that I was not interested, she was pretty, smart and just quirky enough to be interesting. An added plus was that she clearly liked me! Things just never moved in that direction and while there was some disappointment on my part, I really hadn’t expected anything else and was happy that we were friends.

We met in class, and then got to know each other better at a few of the Frat parties we hosted down at Townhouse 27; that worked because there was not ever going to be anything serious between us, so the fact that I was drinking way too much was not a real factor to our friendship. We’d occasionally meet up for lunch at the Caf, or at the Snack Bar in the basement of the Student Center.

Sometimes, we’d even get together to study!

As she had a boyfriend, we didn’t get together often, but when we did, we had some pretty intense conversations about life, faith, the state of the world, and the universe itself!

On one of the first warm days of spring, I found her sitting on an old blanket, out in front of one of the town houses in the middle of the afternoon. She was staring up into the overcast sky, it was threatening rain, and she was focusing on the clouds that roiled above. I was intrigued, but instead of asking her what she was doing, I sat down next to her, and joined her. After a while I turned and asked, “So is it working?” She shushed me and said “Patience!”

It turns out I did not have as much patience as I thought, and only lasted about 20 minutes before I felt a rain drop, and this moved me to get up and go into the house for a beer. Staring up into the clouds was kinda nice while it lasted though, but I have never been one to sit still for too long…not unless I had just done a few bong-hits and there were good tunes on.

She stayed outside for almost another hour, and when she finally came into the house for her own refreshment, she walked over to me, smiled and said: “It worked, look at how sunny it is out there now!” And it was true…the day had turned much brighter! “What did you do?” I asked. “I made the clouds disappear, of course!”

What she said didn’t startle me as much as you’d think…probably because I was halfway through a joint. “That’s cool…” I told her, adding “…how does that work?” She told me it was simple, “You just sit very still, clear your mind, and focus on cloud, picture yourself applying heat, the cloud dissipating, and if you focus just right, the clouds disappear!” “And that’s what you were doing out there?” “Yup, my boyfriend has baseball practice this afternoon, and I did not want it to be rained out.” “How nice of you.” I told her, still highly skeptical.

Although I thought she was just teasing me, I went along with it, because I liked the story and I liked the girl, and we could all use a little magic from time to time.

Shortly after that, we got into Hell Week, and along with my brothers, I was busy putting our ‘pigs’ through their paces – doing PT, rolling in the mud (literally), and doing drop-offs! That week, I had little time for class, sleep or any outside socializing! One thing that stood out about that week is that it did not rain for the first few days, and it was warm…and supposed to be rainy and cold during Hell Week! So, we were frustrated, not only because our pigs were having an easy time, but also because we had to make our own mud!

Then, on Wednesday, as I was going back to the townhouse to crash for a couple of hours before our evening festivities began, I found my friend sitting on her blanket in front of her townhouse, staring up into the sky! I sat down next to her and asked, “Is it your fault that it hasn’t rained all week?” She smiled and quietly said, “My friend is a Theta, and they had a lot of outside stuff to do this week…so I was being nice.” “Well, we need wet and muddy pigs, and for that we need…” “Rain?” she asked. “Yes, rain, please!” She looked at me and said, “Okay, I’ll cut you a break, you get until 6pm Friday!” I thanked her, and she said, “Looks like rain, better get inside.” The sky remained clear and blue, and I bid her well and sent inside to take a nap.

I woke up just as it was getting dark, to the sound of rain hitting the windows. I got out of bed, put on my sneakers, and went downstairs to join the festivities.

That night was cold, and rainy…perfect for pledging, and the rain came down steadily until Friday evening! Our pigs got muddy, wet and cold and we all had fun! Then Friday, right before our final push, the rain ended just in time for our final obstacle course, and drop off…no one wanted to drive down into the Pine Barrens in the rain!

A few days later, during Spring Week, I saw her hanging out in the Quad, listening to the band, and contemplating the fluffy white clouds. “Thank you for last week?” I said, tentatively, I was still not quite believing everything. She just smiled and said, “You’re welcome.” And then she grabbed my beer can and took a sip. Then I sat down and together we listened to music and shared the beer. After a while, I looked up at the big puffy clouds overhead, and said “Only working half a day today?” “What do you mean?” “The sky is NOT clear!” In response, she gave me an elbow to the ribs, and we laughed!

I did not see her again until after finals, just before she graduated.

While many people had left campus, those who were walking had to stay, and so, of course, there were parties! While I was not graduating for another year, I lived only a block away from campus…so I was able to hang for the parties, along with a few of my other non-graduating friends. We were in Townhouse 27, and it was so late in the evening that it was early morning! The party was winding down, but there was still beer in the keg, and I was looking forward to a summer of working at the Glen Ridge Pharmacy driving a delivery truck, so I was in for the duration!

Sometime in the midst of that late-night haze, she and her Theta friends walked in through the door. They got some beers, helped pass a joint and soon became bored, as there was not much else going on. As they were leaving, she came over to me and asked “Do you want to make the Moon come out?”

I was getting bored too…and worse, I was sobering up, so I said “Sure, let’s go!” She smiled and said “Follow me!” One of my APO brothers was also invited to come along, as was one of her Thetas, and we all headed out into the waning night.

It was humid, a little foggy and overcast. “Not much chance of seeing the Moon tonight.” I said, to which she replied, “Have a little faith!” “Where are we going anyway?” asked the Theta. “Up to the roof of Old Main!” my friend replied. When I heard this, I was less than excited. I was still a bit drunk, even sober my balance was not the best, and I had developed a fear of heights have taking a dive off of a roof a few years earlier! I didn’t say anything though, because…I liked the girl, and I did not know want to ‘turn chicken’ in front of her, and I also wanted to see where all this was leading.

Old Main, was one of the great houses that used to occupy the property that made up the campus, before there was a campus. It was one of the oldest buildings on campus and had been given many roles over the years, but now held classrooms. I only had one class in the building, which was fine, because the room was hot, cramped and we had to climb a flight of creaking stairs to get there. The building had true character, with long, narrow hallways and mismatched rooms. By the time I was a student, Old Main was showing its age, but was still a beloved landmark.

Looking back now, I am not even sure how we actually got up on the roof. It was too deep into the night for the building to be open, so I’m guessing we were able to get access to the fire escape…what I do remember is that it was wet, slippery and we were high off the ground! At one point, we had to step across a gap as we moved from one side of the roof to another. While it was too dark and misty to see the ground, I knew that any misstep would result in a long drop into the abyss.

Fortunately, we all made it safely, and soon found spots on the sloping roof, facing the bright lights of Manhattan, but we could not see much more than the light, due to the overcast and the darkness. As we sat there with the sound of the parkway in the distance, my frat said “Not much to see up here.” “Just give me a few minutes.” Was her response. Then she said, “I AM going to need your help.” She then proceeded to explain the process:

“I need each of you to pick a spot in the clouds, and focus all your concentration, all your energy on that spot, and imagine generating so much heat that the clouds simply disappear!” “Picture them steaming away into nothing, it works…if you believe!” “Sounds very Zen.” Noted the Theta, to which my friend nodded and said “Let’s get started.”

Although I am naturally skeptical of such things, this time, I went with it. Maybe it was the fact that I was not alone, and in a very unusual and precarious position…maybe it was simply because I liked the girl, but I put aside my doubts and focused on the cloudbank that was obscuring a view of the city, and concentrated on evaporating the water vapor that made up the clouds…I could actually see the mist breaking up and steaming away!

After about ten minutes, I began to notice something! The Moon actually started to become more visible, and the lights of the city began to shine brighter…the clouds were lifting! I heard a gasp and realized that it was me, but my friend told me to “Keep focus!” So, I did, and as we continued to concentrate the skies cleared, and the Moon, which was high above the city, shone brightly. I looked to the East and saw the Manhattan clearly outlined against the horizon! The skies were now clear…and just in time for us to see the first suggestion of dawn breaking over the city.

We stayed up there, as the daylight came into the world, it was an amazing sight, as the towers of Manhattan glowed gold in the sunrise, and the sky first turned purple, then orange, and finally a brilliant blue! “Beautiful!” I exclaimed. “I told you!” my friend replied, and I just nodded.

As I watched, logic told me it was all a coincidence, but I wanted to believe, wanted it to be true, so I simply accepted it for the moment.

Shortly after Sunrise, my frat brother said “I think we need to think about heading down now.” “True, we don’t want Security to catch us up here.” The Theta added. We all agreed and made the treacherous journey back down to the ground.

I had a bad moment as I was stepping across the gap, it was still wet and my foot slipped slightly, and for a moment I wavered over the abyss…only now I could see how far down the ground was, but my friend grabbed my arm and she pulled me across and onto the other side of the roof! We got back on the ground without attracting the attention of Security, and while everyone else headed for the caf, I turned to go home. As I did, my friend caught my arm, and said “I am so glad we could make some magic together.” Then she gave me our one and only kiss…on the cheek, and she walked out of my life.

It has been years since I have seen her, and years since the school closed its doors, and Old Main was demolished…but still, on those days that start out rainy and then suddenly break into sunlight, on those nights when the clouds part to let the Moon shine brightly, I think of that night, on the roof of Old Main, and I wonder…

Maybe, just maybe, she is still making the clouds disappear, making the Moon come out.

The Battle of Green Lane*

*Historical facts may be somewhat fabricated.

During the Revolutionary War, the citizens of Green Lane Pennsylvania were loyal to the new republic, and enjoyed relative freedom from British oppression; however, their neighbors “up the hill” in the Goshenhoppen region of the Upper Perkiomen Valley were not so fortunate, as they were the reluctant hosts to a company of British Regulars and some Hessian mercenaries who were camped out in fields where the Pennsburg Square Shopping Center now stands.

The British Red Coats got little cooperation from their hosts in the Goshenhoppen, and began sending contingents down the hill road (which was soon referred to as the “Red Hill Road” because it was used extensively by the Red Coats) to raid the farms and shops in Green Lane for supplies.  Frustrated by the looting of their town by the British, the people of Green Lane, led by a renegade Hessian Captain by the name of Eisenhower, organized a militia and planned a response to the British raids. 

There was an old unused water silo, just off of the Red Hill road; it was hidden by a stand of trees and could not be seen by anyone using the road, even during the winter, when the trees were bare.  So while the townspeople knew about this tower, the British did not.  The militia loaded the tower with food and ammunition, and took turns watching the road and shooting at the Red Coats as they came down the hill. The British troops couldn’t tell where the shots were coming from, and would run back up the hill for cover, and the town would be spared for the time being.

At first the guerilla action consisted mostly of taking pot-shots at the Red Coats, with a few of the troops receiving some minor wounds, but no fatalities.  The militia was able to cut down on the raids by the British, but they did not stop all together; as some of the raiding parties would shoot back into the woods, causing the militia to seek cover, and giving the Red Coats the opportunity to make their way down the hill and into town.

This action between the Red Coats and the militia continued for a few months, with neither side gaining the advantage.  Then, in the middle of January, 1778 spies from the Goshenhoppen arrived in Green Lane with news that the British were massing at their encampment in preparation for an attack on Washington’s troops at Valley Forge.  When Captain Eisenhower learned of this offensive, he met with the leaders of the militia to organize the defense of Green Lane.

The water tower would be manned twenty-four hours a day and the militia would also be hiding in the ditch along the road across from the tower.  In addition a few militia members would be stationed at the top of the hill, reporting on any movement of Red Coats along Red Hill Road toward Green Lane.  If it looked like a regular raiding party, the townspeople would simply take a few shots at them, as they usually did…so that the Red Coats would not suspect that a larger force was waiting for them down the hill.  If a full company of Red Coats was making their way down the road, the militia positioned on top of the hill would send a running down to the tower to put them on alert.  The militia in the tower would then signal to their members hiding across the road, by making a bird call; then, when the British came down the hill, the town’s people on both sides of the road would open fire on the troops, mowing them down and ending their march on Valley Forge and Washington’s encampment.

On the morning of January 26, 1778 the men and women of Green Lane gathered at the water tower, stocked it with fresh food and ammunition, and began keeping watch from the turret of the silo; in addition, three militia men were stationed in a small lean-to on top of the hill, while across the road from the tower a second group of militia members took their places behind a rock wall they had built, obscured by snow and bare bushes.  For two days they watched and waited in the cold telling stories and singing hymns to keep each other’s spirits up, but there was no movement on the Red Hill Road, except for a few farmers.  Then, on the evening of the 28th, news came from “up on the hill” that a large company of Red Coats were on the move and were about to come marching down the road into Green Lane!

The next morning, it was snowing heavily, further cutting down the visibility from the road, and slowing down the British troops as they marched toward Green Lane and Valley Forge beyond.  Having marched for hours through the snow, by the time the Red Coats started down the hill they were already tired, cold and hungry.  The Green Lane militia members were much better off than the soldiers; they had food, and warm tea to drink, and the wood stove on the first floor of the water tower kept those watching from the turret relatively warm, despite the snow and wind!

Having watched in shifts, the militia men on the hill were well rested and clear- eyed that morning, when they spotted the first flash of red showing through the gray trees.  (Perhaps some of them wondered why the British insisted on Red uniforms, which made them such obvious targets.)  As soon as the Red Coats were spotted, the runner was sent down to the water tower with the news, which was then relayed across the road with a bird call, which was then passed along to alert the town; the woods were soon filled with bird calls, but none of the British troops paid any attention, they were just too miserable!

Acting according to Eisenhower’s plan, the militia waited to strike until the British were 3/4th of the way down the hill.  Those on the tower fired first, unleashing a volley of muskets into the column of British soldiers.  In their panic some of the invaders tried to run back up the hill, only to run into more of their own troops coming down hill, causing a bottleneck.  Instead of continuing their retreat, the British started shooting wildly into the trees causing more confusion which the townspeople used to their advantage as they concentrated their fire on this group of Red Coats.  Another group of British soldiers ran down the hill, trying to get away from the barrage of musket fire, but on their way down the hill they encountered the second group of militia men hiding behind the rock wall, and they too were met with musket fire, those who were not shot were soon taken prisoner!

Meanwhile, the bottleneck of British Troops on the hill broke up as the surviving British troops regrouped, and turned to retreat back toward their encampment and reinforcements; however, these troops were unaware that the main encampment in the Upper Perkiomen had already been over-run by another group of patriots from the Goshenhoppen.  The Goshenhoppen militia was now advancing toward the fleeing Red Coats!  When the two forces met at the top of the hill, the colonials sent another volley of musket fire into the British troops.  When the smoke cleared, the remaining soldiers surrendered to the Goshenhoppen militia, and spent the rest of the war working as indentured servants (with many staying on after the war and becoming full members of the community). 

The Battle of Green Lane lasted only three hours, and was considered to be only a minor skirmish in terms of the Revolutionary War; however, it was a critical victory.  If the British had not been stopped in Green Lane, they would have marched virtually unopposed to Valley Forge, where they could have succeeded in wiping out the Continental forces quartered there for the winter, a victory which would have changed the outcome of the war. 

When the British General William Howe heard of the Massacre of his troops, he planned a massive counter offensive for the Spring of 1778, but the success of the Continental forces during the early part of the year and budget cuts forced Howe to abandon his plans to retake the Upper Perkiomen and Goshenhoppen regions, and instead, he accepted an offer of  retirement back home in Britain; therefore, the area remained free of the British for the remainder of the war, and it’s residents used their resources to support the Continental Army in their battle for independence.

After the war, the story of the Battle of Green Lane faded into history, as Captain Eisenhower, moved away to York Pennsylvania, and the citizens of Green Lane and the Upper Perkiomen Valley were happy to go back to their quiet lives of farming and making brooms and cigars.  However, the water tower still remains, hidden off the side of Route 29, right on the Perkiomen Trail in Green Lane, a silent monument to the bravery of the people of Green Lane and the Upper Perkiomen Valley; bravery which may very well have saved our young nation from defeat at the hands of the British.

The End

Bullies

Bullies…

They’re not just for kids.

Even as adults we can run into them:  On the road, at work, stores, sporting events, when we are out trying to have a good time with our friends or families. We can also find them on Face Book, Instagram and other forms of social media…especially today, as we are in the midst of an election season.

We see bullies both celebrated and vilified in our culture, with some becoming very famous and powerful, mostly based on building themselves up while bringing others down. However, this also reminds us that most bullies lack any real substance, they are mostly bluff and bluster, but they can still have an impact.

Sometimes, all we need to do is look in a mirror to see a bully….as none of us are without sin.

This is a good thing to remember when others fall short, it can help us to be more forgiving, just as we too have been forgiven.

And we all have our own bullies to face.

Like my friend Harold. He was often bullied, for his weight, his stutter, lack of athletic prowess, and the fact that he was socially awkward (which was not helped by being bullied).

Now Harold became used to being bullied, and found the getting angry didn’t help as it often got physical, and that would get him into trouble – and his anger only seemed to embolden the bullies; that was what they were looking for.

In time, he learned it was best if he didn’t rock the boat.

Instead, he came up with other ways to cope with it…mostly by doing what he could to avoid conflict. If kids started to pick on him, he would sometimes often join in with them, and make a joke out it, like if someone called him ugly or stupid, he would agree with them in order to take some of their steam away. Often though, he would just find a way to walk away.

Then, one day, when he was between classes at High School, Harold came upon a crowd of kids blocking the hall! His instincts told him to turn around and go another way…as that many kids gathered together was usually meant trouble for him, trouble he did not want. Curiosity got the better of him though, and he stopped to see what was going on.

As Harold moved to the edge of the crowd, he saw one of the school’s bullies tormenting a kid named Jack.

Jack was a little bit ‘different’ with a dry sense of humor that was often misunderstood, and he was even more awkward than Harold. Because of this, most of the kids thought he was a little weird and definitely a bit of a nerd, long before shows like The Big Bang Theory made it almost cool to be dorky.

So, Jack was a frequent target of the bullies, who thought it was fun when they could make him angry, or even better…cry!

Because they were both bullied on a regular basis, Harold and Jack became friends, and gave each other support in the face of the taunts and teasing.

Harold saw that Jack was on the verge of tears right now, his face was getting red, he was shaking, and trying very hard not to lose control.  The crowd saw his vulnerability started laughing harder, with a few more of the kids moving from being spectators to actively teasing.

Harold saw what was happening and knew he should do something…

He knew what it was like to be bullied, and while he felt bad for his friend, he was also glad that he was not the target this time. Harold wanted to help, but was afraid that if he spoke up for Jack, he would wind up at the mercy of the bullies!

Just then one of kids pointed at Jack and called out: “Oh no, he’s starting to cry!”

Sure enough, the tears came, and everyone started to laugh and shout at him, including Harold!

When he realized what he was doing, Harold felt horrible!

How could he turn on his friend like that?

That was when Harold finally decided that he had to do something, even though he really didn’t want to, because he was afraid.

Putting his fear aside, Harold pushed his way through the crowd, walked over to Jack, and yelled at everyone to “Stop!” He told them that Jack did not deserve to be treated so badly…no one did, not even the bullies!

The crowd went silent for a moment, and then one of the kids pointed out: “You were just laughing too!” “You’re right, I did, and I was wrong…now I want to do what’s right.” Harold admitted, and then he turned to Jack and said “I’m sorry, I got caught up with the crowd, I shouldn’t have joined in!”

Jack just stood there looking sad and broken…

Some of the kids continued to laugh, but many just turned away without saying anything, looking embarrassed.

Then a teacher walked over to see what was going on…and with that, the rest of the kids walking away as well.

For a moment, Harold felt proud of himself for standing up for Jack, and he put his arm around Jack’s shoulder. Jack moved away from him and asked, “What took you so long?” and then walked away himself.

While Jack eventually forgave Harold, he soon transferred schools because the bullying just got too much him to handle…and this left Harold wondering if things might have been different, if he had spoken up sooner, or more often.

From then on, Harold made an effort to speak out and stand up to bullies, but it was still difficult for him, because he was afraid that if he said anything the bullies would turn on him, and sometimes they did…but as he got older, he did begin to speak out more often. Speaking up did not always work out well, but it did make a difference, it did get some people to think about how they were treating each other. On a few occasions those who were doing the bullying changed their ways, but more often, those who stood by and watched began to speak up more often themselves.

Speaking out also helped Harold to feel better about himself, and it assuaged some of his guilt, as he never wanted to let someone down, like he had done to Jack…ever again.

Through these experiences, Harold has learned that sometimes all it takes is a little bit of courage, to stand up for what is right.