Lost Children of the Alleghenies Monument

In recent days I've spent some time looking at topographic maps of nearby state parks to determine if hiking is a thing I'd like to do again. The terrain here is a bit different than in Ohio. Yes, there were hills in Ohio, but I'm surrounded by mountains where I live now and it's a bit intimidating. They're everywhere. And the last hike I attempted had too many cliffs for my liking, so I'm being a little more cautious.

On the map of Blue Knob State Park I saw something marked "HISTORIC: Lost Cox Children Monument." It did seem like a place in the woods where children could get lost with great ease, but lots of people go missing and they don't get a monument. So, how is this any different?

As it turns out there's a story, a legend, and a Wikipedia article associated with this monument.

It was also close enough to where I live, so I had to go check it out. 

There is a road that goes past the trail leading to the monument, and it's conveniently called "Monument Road." Inconveniently, however, it is gravel, narrow, and the turn-off is kind of tough to spot from the main, paved road running parallel to it. It's deep woods dark, and fallen trees encroach on what width the road does have. There is some space for parking along Monument Road once you get to the correct trail, and the trail is marked.

This is Ciana Run, it's a tributary of Bob's Creek.

It was split in two sections at this point. Lots of rocks and not much water.

After following the trail into the woods for a little bit there was a sign, and a path leading down to the monument.

People have placed fake flowers in the chain link barrier surrounding the monument. Just inside the fencing a couple small fairy or angel figurines sat on the ground in front of the stone. A small stream passes behind the monument. When I was there I crossed the rocks to get to the other bank and crossed back. It's a quiet, peaceful place.

Past the welcome sign, Lost Turkey Trail goes on and on...

Twenty-six miles in total. I didn't walk that one.

The PA-Roots webpage hosts a PDF copy of The Lost Children of The Alleghenies and How They Were Found Through a Dream (1914) by Charles R. McCarthy.

Goals for July

I've been kind of out of it for a while due to a bout of severe depression, my regular unmedicated anxiety (that will soon be medicated...in August since that was the first available medication appointment), and a shoulder injury in early June, so I'm trying to get back into writing and reading by making small goals that are relatively easy for me to achieve. Maybe I'll set more ambitious writing goals in August, but for now this is supposed to motivate me instead of discourage me.

Writing Goals:
Finish a short story I've been calling, "We can't stop here, this is Lovecraft country"--It will probably be done at under 8k, but it's at 3.7k right now.
Rewrite six poems in order to make them more firmly in the Horror genre.

Reading Goals:
Finish reading Dark Faith (I'm about halfway through it)
Finish reading Queer Fish: Volume 2 (I have a story in there, but never got around to reading all the others)
Read Long Hidden
Read All Marketers Tell Stories by Seth Godin
Read Gods and Monsters: Unclean Spirits by Chuck Wendig
Read Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis

Consumable Media: June 2014

Short:
Love Is the Plan the Plan Is Death by James Tiptree Jr.
No Longer A Fragment by Alexis A Hunter in Kasma Science Fiction Magazine

Novels:
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Douglas Addams

Articles:
51 Awesome Webcomics The Eisners Have Completely Failed To Recognize
6 Boring New England Destinations Made Awesome by H.P. Lovecraft
A digital renaissance for the science fiction short story

Webcomics:
Lovecraft Is Missing
Oglaf NSFW

Podcasts:
Welcome to Night Vale
Writing Excuses

Audiobooks:
The Collected Public Domain Works of H.P. Lovecraft (LibriVox)
The Rats in the Walls by H.P. Lovecraft (Voices in the Dark)
The Festival by H.P. Lovecraft (via Youtube)

Movies:
Fear of the Unknown: H.P. Lovecraft Documentary (via Youtube)
Spaceballs (1987)
Beautiful Darling (2010)
A Walk into the Sea: Danny Williams and the Warhol Factory (2007)
Tiny: A Story About Living Small (2013)
The Woman Who Wasn't There (2012)
Mystery Science Theater 3000: Beginning of the End
Re-Animator (1985)

Dream: Literarily Weird

I'm almost embarrassed to post this just due to the level of weird, but I have written before about the majestic awkwardness of my dreams and it's not quite flying around on a waffle. I also kept waking up overnight, so I kind of had dream vignettes that lead up to some fuckery that will probably surprise you or not.


1.

"Are you wearing a skirt?" My mom gives me a weird look as she lounges on a large sofa in an art gallery. The towering walls are crowded with framed artwork. (It's basically like the gallery rooms from Penny Dreadful where Dorian Gray hangs out.)

I look down and pull at the light blue fabric and immediately recognize what I'm wearing, so I correct her, "It's Sailor Mercury cosplay."

Mind you, it's not good Sailor Mercury cosplay, but something I tried to sew when I was eleven or twelve. A white tank top with pleated blue fabric sewn onto the bottom. Complete the look for yourself with shorts, spiky dark brown hair, and dark-rimmed glasses. Very hipster dude ironically cosplaying as Sailor Mercury. Good choice, subconscious.

I'm being haunted by unfinished sewing projects past.


2.

I wander into a bathroom. It's pretty dark, lit only by amber-tinged light from stained light bulbs. The glass on a couple of the bulbs is broken, but the filaments are still glowing. The toilet has electronics thrown into it. Wii and Xbox controllers. More junk is thrown into the filthy bathtub.

The mirror is smudged and dirty. I can't see my reflection that well and I'm not quite sure why I'm in there so I leave.


3.

In another room a doorbell rings, so I walk the halls to find it. This building is darkly Victorian in style, lots of curiosities everywhere, except it's exposed to unreasonably bright light. It's kind of like looking at a theater scene when all the stage and house lights are up, and there aren't any curtains to cast shadows. Not sure if I'm even in the same building as before or if I'm jumping between locations each time I fall back asleep. Whatever, I'm still in my total crap cosplay.

I open the double doors to the outside and find a very tan, shirtless muscle guy and a pale trans woman in a shiny spandex club wear kind of dress. Neither of them talk to me, but they just walk into the house like it's totally obvious that they would be there. I follow them and don't try to question anything that's going on.

There's another art gallery sort of room, but this is a different one. The artwork is larger and not as cluttered. An elaborate bed is set up against the wall at the back of the room. Clothes start coming off. Oh, okay, this is one of those dreams.

I watch for a while, and decide to join them because this is my dream and they brought me along. I kiss the woman. They're both trying to get me out of my fetching Sailor Mercury costume, but I hold onto it because I think I'm going to need it later. And I keep hearing this odd noise outside the room.


4.

The next time I'm aware of it, the room has shifted into something more modern and smaller. The bed is still against the wall. Eventually I decide to go check out the weird noise. It's the sound of shuffling and more solid footsteps. Maybe I'm paranoid because my dreams don't just gift wrap attractive naked people for me. That's not how this goes. Ever.

After finding nothing worthy of notice in the bright hallway, I head back into the room and close the double doors. The naked people have been going on without me. I sit on the edge of the bed and get used to the idea that this could possibly be a sexy dream and not a weird one.

I put my hand on the muscle guy's thigh. The doors to the room burst open and there's a scraggly-looking man with a mustache standing there. He's in a worn brown suit that might have been a nicer suit at some point in time. He has a revolver. I jump up and dive for him. It's all very slow motion. He fires off four shots in an arc over the naked muscle guy's head.

Yes, Edgar Allan Poe just showed up to the sexy dream and started shooting at us. All of us glare at him. End scene.


 --I have loosely interpreted this dream as trying to tell me that I need to stop fucking around and get back to writing.