WDYS — The Faceless Man in the Hooded Yellow Rain Slicker

Fandango

There had been maybe a half a dozen sighting by townsfolk of a man wearing a hooded yellow rain slicker in the woods just south of town. No one knew anything about him, like who he was or where he lived or why he was hanging out in the south woods. No one could describe him, other than by his yellow rain slicker, as no one had seen his face under the hood. He was starting to become a legend in these parts, and whenever anything strange or unexplained in town happened, people thought about and would point the finger at the faceless man in the hooded yellow rain slicker.

When Becky Johnston’s parents, whose property was adjacent to the south woods, reported that Becky didn’t come home from school one day, the townsfolk went into a frenzy, assuming that little Becky had been abducted by the mysterious man in the yellow rain slicker.

The sheriff called in the state police and the state police called in the FBI, and by the next morning a one-hundred person search party was scouring the south woods. At around 11 am, a state trooper radioed that he had found a young girl lying on a yellow rain slicker near a creek. The trooper reported that the girl was conscious and, except for some scrapes and bruises, seemed to be fine.

Tom Johnston, Becky’s father, and the town sheriff joined the state trooper at Becky’s side. Becky jumped up and hugged her father. “Did the man wearing this yellow rain slicker take you, Becky?” he asked her.

The sheriff interrupted. “Becky, can you tell us what happened?”

Becky looked at her father, who nodded. “I was walking home from school yesterday when a man ran out of the woods, grabbed me and pulled me into the trees. I tried to scream but he put a cloth over my mouth and it made me sleepy. When I woke up, it was dark and I was here and the man who grabbed me was standing over me. He was just starting to undress when another man, the one wearing this yellow slicker, jumped the man and knocked him over. They wrestled around a lot and the man in the yellow slicker beat the man and dragged him away toward the creek.”

Becky took a deep breath. “I was going to run, but I didn’t know which way to go. Then the man in the yellow slicker came back and asked me if I was okay. He took off his yellow slicker, put it down on the ground and told me to sit on it. He gave me a water bottle, an apple, and some protein bars he had in his backpack. He said help will be coming soon and to wait here. He said he’d be watching me from a distance to make sure I was okay.”

“Sheriff, we got a body in the creek,” a deputy called out.

“I’ll be right there,” the sheriff called back. “Becky, when he took off the rain slicker did you see his face? What did he look like?”

“I was scared because it was scarred and ugly, but he told me not to be afraid. He said he was caught in a fire and nearly died and the scars on his face were burn scars from the fire, but his voice was so kind and he was so gentle that I didn’t feel afraid anymore.”

“I think I saw him,” the state trooper said. “He was standing at the edge of the clearing, but after I approached the girl and radioed you, he was gone.“

And that was the last time anyone ever saw the faceless man in the hooded yellow rain slicker ever again.

Written for Sadje’s What Do You See prompt. Photo credit: Jake Fahad @ Unsplash.

25 thoughts on “WDYS — The Faceless Man in the Hooded Yellow Rain Slicker”

    • Fandango April 12, 2023 / 3:13 pm

      Thanks, Paula. It was, for me, a long post. It sort of got away from me.

      Liked by 1 person

  2. rugby843 April 12, 2023 / 11:31 am

    Cool story 👍🏻💛

    Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone

    Liked by 1 person

    • Fandango April 12, 2023 / 3:23 pm

      Thanks, Cheryl.

      Like

  7. Sadje April 12, 2023 / 4:45 pm

    A very well told story Fandango. Thanks for joining in.

    Liked by 1 person

  9. jilldennison April 12, 2023 / 11:25 pm

    This story grabbed me from the first sentence! Excellent writing!!!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Fandango April 13, 2023 / 7:01 pm

      Thanks. And yes we do.

      Like

  11. Pingback: WDYS # 181 -A Roundup post – Keep it alive
  12. leigha66 April 25, 2023 / 1:31 pm

    Nice story Fandango. People always suggest the hooded stranger. Well done!

    Liked by 1 person

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