The Hook

The CampfireThe openingFree

Every campfire has to have this one. It's the oldest urban legend in America. Your grandparents heard it. You might think you know it.

Stay with me.

There's a lookout up on the ridge outside of town. A gravel pullout at the end of a dirt road, where you can see all the lights of the valley spread out below. It's a place people go to park. Couples. At night.

One night, a young couple drove up there. It was late. Foggy. They were the only car. He turned off the engine and turned on the radio, and they talked, and looked at the lights.

And then the music stopped, and a news bulletin came on.

"We interrupt this program. A dangerous patient has escaped from the state hospital for the criminally insane. He was last seen on the ridge road heading north. He is described as a tall man, and he is extremely violent. Residents are warned to lock their doors. He can be identified by one feature. In place of his right hand, he has a hook."