Bullroarer

Anthony beckoned them all back to where they had found the old backpack.

“I’m pretty sure we can make them leave,” Anthony said.

“How will we get them to leave?” Veronica asked.

“I’ll show you,” he said. “There are some pieces of an old crate around here somewhere,” he said looking around

“Here it is,” Lester said.

“Good,” Anthony said walking over to where Lester found the broken pieces of wood. Anthony selected one of the pieces about a foot and a half long and three inches wide, broke off some sharp slivers at one end. He took out his jackknife and drilled a hole in the middle of the board about an inch from one end.

“Lester, who has the heavy twine?” he asked.

“It’s in Yuwon’s pack.”

“Would you cut me a piece of that twine a little longer than four feet?” he asked Yuwon.

Yuwon took the ball of twine out of her pack and measured a length of the twine using her forearm as the measure then borrowed Anthony’s knife to cut it.

“Is that OK?” she asked.

“Perfect,” Anthony said.

He fed the length of twine through the hole he had drilled in the board pulling the two ends till they matched, then tied the two strands into a knot at the board end and another knot where the two ends came together. He lifted the board by the knot near the end of the strings and let it dangle like a pendulum.

“That’s it,” Anthony announced. “It’s how were going to scare the tar out of the Nebers.”

Everyone looked doubtful, especially Jasmine.

“With that?!” she said her eyes opened wide and eyebrows raised. “Doesn’t look very scary to me.”

“It’s not how it looks that will scare them,” Anthony explained, “it’s how it sounds.”

“A bullroarer,” Eddy excitedly exclaimed.

Everybody shushed him, then asked, “what’s a bullroarer?”

“That is,” Eddy said pointing to the string and board Anthony was holding.

“That’s right,” Anthony said. “Tell them how it works Eddy.”

“First you wind the string by turning the board a few times, then you whirl the thing by the end of the string in a circle and it makes the most incredible loud noise you’ve ever heard.” Eddy explained. “It would frighten anyone who doesn’t know what it is.”

“You think it will frighten the Nebers off?” Lester asked.

“Oh, it will frighten them, alright,” Anthony assured them, “the problem is, if we do it here it will frighten them in the wrong direction. We have to get the bullroarer on the other side of them.”

Yuwon suddenly said, “I can get by them?”

Eddy didn’t like it but he didn’t say anything, because he knew she was right.

“It’s much too dangerous,” Lester said. “I think Anthony or I should do it.”

“One of us could try,” Anthony said, “but I don’t think we could get by them without being heard.

“Yuwon could,” Eddy said. “She can run in the woods without being heard, but I don’t want her to do it.”

“I’m going to do it, Eddy,” she said, and the decision was made.

“Alright, but I’ll be standing watching and if it even looks like they hear or see you, I’ll shoot them,” he said a little defiantly.

“Jasmine had the best look at them,” Lester said. “Which way would be the best way to get by them?” he asked her.

“Well, they’re closest to the right wall, sitting around a fire, but they’re mostly facing the left wall, if they haven’t moved.”

“Can everyone here whistle?” Anthony asked.

They all could.

“Here’s how it will work. Yuwon will take the bullroarer and attempt to get behind and past the Nebers. As soon as Yuwon goes around the bend we all start whistling as loud and wildly as we can. Eddy will watch and signal us the moment Yuwon is by them.

When she’s past them we’ll stop whistling and all get back as far as we can. When Yuwon is far enough past to be out of the light of their fire she’ll start whirling the Bullroarer. It should not take long for them all to start running for their lives.

Anthony handed the bullroarer to Yuwon and instructed her to wind the string a little. “When you start whirling it, don’t stop. You don’t have to whirl it fast, just enough to keep it roaring.”

Yuwon turned to Jasmine. “My I borrow your head light?” and Jasmine handed it to her.

Eddy and Yuwon walked to the turn in the tunnel and suddenly Yuwon vanished. Eddy gave them the signal and they all startled whistling as loud as they could. Eddy saw Yuwon sprint behind the Nebers who were all looking in the direction of the whistles. Eddy gave them the signal to stop.

There was a pause when nothing happened, then suddenly the cave was filled with a screaming horrible roar that went on and on. The Nebers were obviously terrified but either too stupid or too petrified to move. Then Eddy saw a terrible sight, Yuwon was coming toward the Nebers, but it did not look like Yuwon, but like an apparition. Instantly the Nebers went screaming past them.