I spent so much of my childhood wishing I was older. Now I suspect that I’ve forgotten about 95% of what happened to me as a kid. But I’ve never forgotten the day I brought home a book called Monsters You’ve Never Heard Of from the library.
I read a lot now and I read even more then. Most of the books I remember reading in my childhood are probably still in my head either because they’re either classics or I still read them occasionally as an adult. There is only one story I remember from that book, however. I think about it at least once a week, and it’s been 20 years. It had an effect on me that I can’t explain.
As was my custom, I came home, went into my room, put my feet up, and read as much of the book as possible before I had to go downstairs for dinner.
The Burr Woman
The story is simple and unremarkable. But there were images in it that gave me fits. I would not lie down in my bed for weeks without thinking of The Burr Woman.
A group of men on a professional expedition in the southwestern United States–I don’t remember what they were doing–are going about their business when one of them notices movement. Something darts from cactus to cactus. Suddenly it runs towards one of the men and jumps onto his back.
It is a tiny, furry, grayish woman. Her hands dig inside of his shoulder. Her feet pierce his torso and wrap around his ribs. Of course they can’t pull her off.
Soon she is whispering in the man’s ear and influencing his actions. The man confides in the narrator and says that he is going crazy, which isn’t surprising.
The story ends with the poor guy running towards a cliff while the narrator watches. “Run! She’ll come for you next!” he screams before diving to his death.
The narrator runs to the edge and looks down. His friend is lying face down on the rocks. The Burr Woman pulls her hands and feet out of the man and looks up. She begins to scramble up the cliff towards the narrator.
When the story ends, he is whipping his horse trying to get away just as she drags herself over the edge of the cliff and lopes after him.
Even now, it makes me shiver. I don’t know what it is about the imagery that affects me so badly. Maybe I’ve just had too many women with their hooks in me. I kid! I kid!
That book is out of print, but variations of The Burr Woman can be found in several Native American myths. Weird stuff. Weird enough that I have carried that story in my head for two decades now.
I love Halloween.
Josh
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I LOVE HALLOWEEN, TOO! This story may have been used as a basis for an episode of “Freakylinks,” which was a tv show that ran on Fox in the late 90s. I think youc an now catch it once in awhile on ChillerTV. In the episode of Freakylinks, a man had written a novel based on demonic spirits that did the same type of thing The Burr Woman did. The only way to keep these evil beings in check was to buy a copy of this guy’s book. When the man died, the evil spirits of course ran amok, so the Freakylinks team eventually wound up putting his novel on the internet, as a web page and I think also as a free downloadable book. Unfortunately, I can’t remember the names of these nasty little critters. The Burr Woman sounds great! Thanks!
Spooky! So what clever costume will you be sporting this Halloween?
Stephanie, I think I’ll dress up like a butterfly with the head of a t-rex.
This post made me remember quite a few of the books and stories I loved as a kid and made me think, “Why don’t I ever pull those out of the moving boxes and read them from time to time?!” Might have to read “Matilda” tonight.. for the 568th time.
For some reason, this reminded me of the movie Chucky.
Doesn’t matter how many times I see the movie, every time when the woman opens Chucky’s batterpack, sees none in there, his face spins around, and he says, “Hi, I’m Chucky…wanna play?” I get chills.
Too funny.
I think the scariest part is that she sinks her hands and feet in to the man. Ick.
Sorry to revive this thread but I’m just catching up on your blog after a brief hiatus (read: I’ve been swamped) and this one gave me chills. The closing scene brought back the image in the movie “The Ring” of the stringy haired girl climbing out of the well. Creepy stuff.
P.S. I am tracking down “Song of Kali” as soon as I post this. Halloween is cool.
Nothing to be sorry about, Jon. Glad things are slowing down for you. How’s your bending going?
The bending is coming along. Ben and I bent some 40D nails and some grade 2 bolts. The 60Ds however, got the best of both of us. They’ll go down eventually…
If you can get some of those 40ds with Double underhand, you’ll be getting close to the 60ds.
This is going to sound strange, but I know exactly what you mean. The “Burr Woman,” story along with one titled “The Wedigo” from a book whose name I cannot remember, have haunted me since I was a child. Sometimes, I still imagine that she’s out there in the woods, stalking me. It’s nice to know that someone else was irrationally freaked out by the tale.
Actually, the reason I even happened upon your post was that I had a frightening dream about the Burr Woman just last night. It’s always amazed me how frights from childhood often prove the most enduring.
Evan
I have this book! It was the main collection of scary stories I had as a kid that really scared me. Evan, The Wendigo was also in Monsters You’ve Never Heard Of. I remember The Painted Skin about a monster who wore a woman’s face, and another titled something like The Monster of Craglin Grange about a skeleton that snuck out of a tomb nightly and ran really fast to a nearby cottage, picked away at the window casing, and wanted to eat the girl inside.
Sarah, if you have any interest in selling it, email me through the contact form. I’d love to see this book again.
I read that book as a kid and that story had a similar affect on me… it scared the hell out of me. While I don’t think back on it quite so often when I do it sends chills down my spine… reading your description right now brought back a lot of memories of being scared of her as a kid. I just stumbled on this because she was messing with my head so I googled her to see what I could find!
Glad you made it here safely:)
I also read that book. I remember the wendigo story and the burr women in particular. I also think about it from time to time. I’m glad to know that I am not the only person who has been so deeply frightened by this book.
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