Mining Assumptions

This is the story of why I threw away my favorite Disney movie and forbid it in my house even after my daughter was born. You may be asking what Disney movie could possibly be so disturbing to cause a father to ban it from his home, and even prevent his daughter from watching it. 

 My story takes place in an ordinary New England town with only one distinguishing land mark.  Just beyond the northern most boundaries, just beyond the thickest part of the bordering woods, there is a mountain that seems devoid of any human involvement. This mountain is known as Copper Mountain, although copper was never mined in this rather small coal mining site. This mountain drew my attention one day while I was surfing the web for mountains and caves to explore.  I had hiked many old mining sites in my area and this was so close, yet still so obscure. The article I found, no more than 1 page, was ten years old, and it was dedicated to the thirtieth anniversary of the mine's closing.  Printing off a rather rough map of the area, I decided this would make a good day trip, especially since this sight was only about 2 hours away from my home.   

The town was very small with only a few shops here and there on what was called Main Street.  Most of the stores that were open appeared to be "mom and pop" stores with little to no real products. The entire town looked as though it was half abandon and a perfect example of a sleepy old forgotten town from the 1950's. Though there were not any road signs or directions in town pointing the way to the mountain trail thankfully because of its sleepy nature it still remained about the same layout as the map indicated showing the way to the mountain trail.

Finally finding the trail after circling the base of the mountain for about 15 minutes I found the trail head on the back side of the mountain; the side facing away from the town. The tar road had so many pot holes that it looked like swish cheese with a few moon craters in the mix, along with weeds growing out of the base of the holes the size of a grown man's arm. I had to get out of my car to move a huge branch out of my way just to get into the parking lot. I was not worried of my car being stolen in this lot as it hadn't been used for years and look just like a dirt patch in the middle of the forest with every kind of weeds imaginable growing out of each section.

I parked it the least weeded area and took out the directions from the article I had printed along with an outdated map of the mountain from an official mapping survey from thirty years ago. Taking out my compass I headed west.  I finally found what was left of the old mining trail a few feet from the parking lot indicated by how the weeds and trees were just starting to grow back still laughably small compared to the rest of the flora around them.  I finally found the mine shaft which was even more ragged then I had thought. The top sides of the mine were bursting with vegetation that seemed determined not only to cover the dirt area but the support beams as well.  If I did not have the article I would not have noticed it at all as it was hidden by so many small trees and blackberry bushes that I could barely see the opening through the trail. Coming closer however I could see that the trees and bushes stopped about 4 feet away from the entrance leaving a nice clean opening for me to catch my breath and walk right in.

Taking out my heavy-duty flashlight I shined the light beam on the trail and was disgusted to see trash covering the trail, fast food bags with partially eaten food in them to half eaten fruits, vegetables and other mostly food products. Typical the first sign that any human had been here in less than ten years and its garbage that has been thrown away by hikers and explorers too lazy and selfish to take it with them back to civilization. Angry that my supposed unexplored cave had been so bluntly violated I failed to notice that the garbage trail only started just a few feet from the entrance just far enough that no natural light would ever reach it and that there had been no garbage any were else on my trip. As I walked through the mine the garbage level on the floor kept increasing with even flies darting in and out of the waste. There was even an increase of material as well as more rotten food was strewed about from month old vegetables covered in green mold to entire sections of worm eaten furniture packed on the sides of the mine. As the smells increased and it took all of my will to continue the fly's crawling on my skin and the smell of what seemed to be rotten eggs mixed with spoiled milk that had been in the sun for a week I began to wonder who the hell would go out of their way to turn the mine into a second dump. As I pondered what was exactly was happening here as I trudged along, I thought of course teenagers were the culprit though this seemed way too elaborate for just some prank. Then drug dealers though even they would want to keep some kind of clean environment.  As I pondered this question I noticed that the support beams were looking much sturdier and sloshing though the filth to look at one I notice that it almost looked brand new and even sanded a luxury that this mine even in its heyday would not have received.

Now thoroughly confused I determinately marched on even with my common sense telling me to go back. This was for two reasons one being even some one crazy would not have the money for both the garbage and the mine repair and also that I had already been through hell just getting here and dammit if I turned back now just because of cold feet. Sloshing on with the knowledge that my shoes at this point had been ruined forever anyway and that as soon as I got home I would probably have to burn then I walked on to see if I could uncover the inconsistencies of this trail.

This next part is tricky for me because although it is the source of my trauma my memories of this moment are often hazy and inconsistent with some days I can remember each moment like it just happened and other like a foggy dream.  After 5 more minutes of walking among garbage I finally approached a crossroad leading to the right or the left both looking exactly the same with mounds of garbage on the floor covered in flies. Picking the left trail to go first I was just heading in when I head a crunching and squishing sound coming from just ahead. Panicking I lifted my flash light to see who was there only to find that whoever it was quickly dashed just outside of my flashlights reach.

"Put that down away from me you freggin hairless ape."

Boomed a voice from the shadows sounding like a combination of the voice of a smooth talking posh older gentlemen and like a garbage disposal full of ten years of old rotten muck. I know that this sounds contradictory, but that is what I heard like someone playing two different tracks at once to make a jumble of sounds.  Surprised I turned my flashlight so that the light was just right in front of me shading my speaker in darkness.

"That's better," the voice replied

"What are you doing hear in our mountain disturbing our home without any permission or invitation?"

 At this response the word which struck my mind was "our" as it meant that it was not just me and this garbage and darkness loving freak, but possibly a entire group of who know how many crazy's in this secluded area. Now I am a big well-kept guy, but I did not bring any kind of weapons with me thinking I would be completely alone on this trail now finding myself talking to what could be for all intense purposes a drug pusher or cult follower with no reception on my cell phone as well.

 Licking my lips, I answered just been checking the forest and mine from an article I hand found online and had thought that both had been abandoned and thus ripe for exploitation. I then mentioned that I was now exploring to see why someone had left all of this garbage on the mining trail and ruined the mines interior.

 My speaker again spoke with what now sounding like indignation hacking and spewing each syllable though his now clearly barely controlled anger.

"That is none of your concern brat we make our lives though the corpse of Ymir himself a bit of your trash is just side dishes for our young and elderly. Now get the hell out of our home and never come back."

 With that last word what sounding like someone spitting a big wad of gum came from my speaker and a slab of what I can only describe as green slime flew and landed right in the middle of my flashlight circle of light.

Thoroughly weirded out but also thoroughly insulted I yelled that I would be calling the cops as soon as I got out and that their little freak show would soon be kicked out and back on to the streets. Of course as soon as I said that a horrible almost metallic catlike screeching came from my host followed by what sounding like many more just behind him. It was at this moment I decided to run back turning right around and booking it. As I was running I could hear increased crunching right behind me coming closer and closer despite the terrain. Eventually I slipped on a still greasy piece of pizza that caused my left foot to give out from under me. Falling face first in the garbage I quickly grabbed my flashlight hoping to use it as a club if needed. Soon the crunching slowed and I could hear at least 7 to 8 footsteps right behind me. They started to circle around me and before they could grab me I shined my light right on them hoping to blind them before clubbing my way out.

What I saw still haunts me to this day as I was surrounded by creatures resembling maggots fused with tiny very obese men.  The seven creatures skin was chalk white and shiny looking like they had just pored oil all over themselves each standing at only three and a half feet tall. Their fingers stubby and without any fingernails and their arms were huge and muscular and reaching almost to their knees. Each wore simple overalls and boots with what seemed to be a children's hard helmet on top each uniquely color coded to each creature from red, blue, yellow, green, orange, pink, and leopard spotted. Their heads were the most gruesome part of their entire body looking more like maggots then men protruding out of their bodies like a lump on a potato they had huge read eyes with cartoon like back pupils with no coloration in them. Their noes were only two slits in their faces and their mouths the most horrible of them all an insect mouth with those two things on the side and a mishmash of human teeth. Under that a bead of tentacles wither and swarmed around what would be their chin reaching all around them like they were trying to break free. They still oddly enough had hair on top of their head though white and sticky looking.

That was when the blue one pointed his "finger" at me shouting "Enough" and the world suddenly faded to black.

Later I work up out of the cave and in the mountain parking lot right next to my car. I found myself butt naked without my phone map and even car keys. My car had been totaled the tires stolen and the body scratched from all sides with the lights broken for good measure. Finding I had no other choice, I had to walk all the way down the mountain with a handmade makeshift grass skirt until I reached town where upon I was promptly arrested by the police. They placed me in the only jail cell they had at the police station in town and after finally giving me some pants took me in for questioning. As I explained my story for the fifth time only getting them to believe very little of my story when the deputy finally went up to the mountain and found my car the license plate still on the front and back. I was never charged and I was allowed to go home after calling up a rental car from a nearby town. I heard that the police later checked out the area but could not even find any garbage in the mines though the structure was still new looking. They then quickly gave up after one of their own turned up naked his gun and badge right beside him right where I had been. My car was eventually opened and it turns out my phone and wallet had been in there though the former had been broken and the other only the coins I had in it were missing.

Now for the reason I will not let my daughter watch what was once my favorite Disney movie has to do with what I found while looking up what the hell happened to me.  While surfing on the web I found a page explaining Viking myths and how they thought the world we live in was made from the corpse of this supposedly great giant Ymir that had been killed by their gods. What got my attention after finding the name Ymir was the story of what the maggots that burrowed into Ymir's flesh transformed into. Now years later whenever I see that Disney movie I have to stop myself from twitching at the thought of those seven jerks above me in their seven differently color coated hats.

 

 

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