My great grandfather once told my father about a unique experience he had during WWII. He was part of a group of allied personel who were in charge of transporting supplies to a nearby camp. They often had to travel through thick forests and mountains to reach their destination. The group had been running low on rations because of frequent storms which halted their progress. As food supplies dwindled, the group leader decided to search for any edible plants and abandoned camp materials they could find in the forest. The group split up to scout for resources.
Two members were tasked with finding a good position further ahead of the scouting teams where they could set up camp for the night. As dusk approached, the two men were getting visibly exhausted walking for miles without a soul in sight. Suddenly, as they went over a small hill that overlooked a dry riverbed, they were surprised to see a house in the distance. According to their map of the area, the nearest city was approximately 120 miles away from their location. Given the scarcity of resources in the area and the distance of the nearest semblance of civilization, they became curious. How could a person survive in such conditions?
Image: Brown Brick Building Surrounded By Plants, Pexels / Simon Sikorski
The house looked like a small, western-style cottage of that time period. All of the windows were brightly lit with a warm orange glow. Laughter and music could be heard from one of the open windows. Before the two members could make further observations, a loud rolling boom of thunder could be heard in the distance. This was quickly followed by dark clouds, thick fog, and heavy rain which greatly reduced their visibility. Given the team's dire situation, the two personel decided to approach the house and ask if they had any supplies to help the team out.
They knocked on the door and recieved a quick reply from inside to come in. They cautiously opened the door and were greeted by a middle-aged man wearing casual attire. The man, who looked to be owner of the house, motioned for them to sit at the couch before closing the door. Before the two men could say anything, the man offered them some food and water first and insisted that they eat before allowing them to tell their story. The two men agreed and within a few minutes they were invited to the dinner table where they were served a large roasted chicken with salad and a loaf of soft white bread. The men were so hungry that they inhaled all of the food within a few minutes. Before they could politely request for drinks, the owner of the house provided them with sweet orange juice which they also downed in just a few gulps.
After the meal, the two men thanked the owner of the house and insisted that they did not mean to intrude on the owner's kindness. They provided a brief summary of what their objective was and how they arrived at his house. The man said that he was more than happy to help them and offered them to stay in the house so that they could get a good night's rest before leaving the next day. The men happily accepted and were shown to their rooms which were very clean and beautifully furnished with tables, chairs, lamps, and large beds. The two men took to their rooms and soon were fast asleep.
Early the next day, they were greeted by the owner of the house who helped them pack extra items and supplies in their bag. The two men were so appreciative of the man's help, but they couldn't repay him. The onwer of the house simply said that he was happy to assist the allied personel in any way possible. He even offered them to marry his beautiful daughters to which they politely refused. On their way out, the two men waved goodbye to the man and began to set foot back to the scouting camp.
After several hours of walking on the muddy terrain, the two men rejoined the other members of the scouting team. The team leader immediately began questioning where they were. The two men explained their whereabouts from the previous day and what occured in the house. The leader did not believe them saying that it had been about three days since they returned and the team had to expend their last supplies just to find them. The men checked their watches and were surprised to find that exactly three days had gone by. To prove that they weren't simply playing around in the forest, they offered to take the entire team to the site where they found the house. The leader agreed and the team set foot for the house.
When they arrived at the exact location, they only found a pile of dead twigs where the house should have been. The two men stood in disbelief. A house this big could not be removed in just three days. The leader only began to believe the mens' stories when they showed all of the supplies and items that the owner of the house had carefully packed in their bags. The team was so hungry and thirsty that nearly all of the food supplies that they had showed as proof to the leader were gone within minutes.
Shortly after WWII had ended, the men decided to tell their stories and ask people about their opinions in the neighboring towns and cities. After a while of searching, they learned that there was an old superstiton that fairies had inhabited that forest hundreds of years ago. When humans attempted to build towns and villages many of them simply vanished. Only a handful of people lived to tell the tale of how they escaped the fairy realm. They mentioned being stuck in a time trap, meeting the same people, and marrying their beautiful daughters. It was only when they refused to marry that they were freed from the fairy realm. The two men realized how close they were to disappearing forever that mysterious realm.
Before leaving to fix his tools in the garage, my great grandfather ended the story by saying, "You know those two men who ventured into that house?"
"Yes?", my father replied curiously.
"I was one of them."