The tail

Ghost story from West Virginia, USA.

A hunter had been out all day without finding a single game. He was hungry when he returned with his dogs to the cabin but had nothing to eat. But when he closed the door, he saw that there was something on the table. It was a strange animal, about the size of a hare, with a wolverine nose, fox ears, owl eyes and a body like a monkey. It was covered in shaggy red hair and had long claws on its toes and fingers. Around it on the table lay a long tail coiled like a resting rattlesnake. The hunter thought that this strange vomit was better than nothing, so he picked up the ax and threw it at the creature. The animal was quick and jumped away, but the tail was hit and cut off. It remained lying on the table while the animal slipped out of the cabin through the chimney to the stove.

Satisfied that at least he got something for supper, the hunter boiled the tail and ate it. Then he went to bed without thinking more about what had happened in the cabin during the evening. But sometime after midnight he heard something scratching at the door and a voice whispered: “My tail, my tail! Give me back my tail!” The hunter opened the door but could see nothing in the darkness. He let out one of his dogs to frighten the intruder away, but as it was the dog did not return and the hunter went to bed again. After a while he awoke to a scratching on the window and a voice whispered: “My tail, my tail! Give me back my tail!” Hunter flew up and let his second dog out, but like the first, it didn't come back either. After another moment the hunter heard the rustling of the chimney and a voice whispered: “My tail, my tail! Give me back my tail!” Now the hunter had no more dogs so he pulled the covers over his head and tried to go back to sleep. But at the same moment the covers were pulled from him and when he looked down at the foot of his bed he could see the strange animal sitting there staring at him. “My tail, my tail! Give me back my tail!” it hissed, glaring at him with its yellow owl eyes. "I don't have your tail anymore," chirped the hunter. "Yes, you have," hissed the animal. "You just have to look in the right place. Then the animal flew at the hunter and tore him open with its long claws.

At least that's what they say, for the hunter was gone the next morning but his cabin was stained with blood, and a strange animal was seen some evenings dancing on the roof of the cabin with a long curling tail behind it.