The Screamer in the Woods

The town where I live (White Bluff, TN) is home to not just one but two local supernatural legends.

I’m referring both to the “White Bluff Screamer” and “Werewolf Springs,” respectively. (A quick Google search will yield more information about these old legends than you could possibly want.)

It is with these stories in mind that I recount a recent experience of my own. A few nights ago, A. M. and I were driving down the back road which leads to the house. It was after dark, and since this is the middle of the country in a heavily wooded area, we typically drive with our headlamps on high beam. As I began to slow down in preparation of turning, a sudden shape appeared on the road.

Swerving, I narrowly avoid hitting...a raccoon. Apparently, it decided to have its fine evening dining right there on the asphalt.

The story would end rather anticlimactically right there, but for what happened a couple of minutes later. We pulled into the yard. Extracting a few sacks of groceries from the back of the Trailblazer, we walked across the pitch black yard towards the house—and that's when we heard the noise.

It sounded like a woman's scream, only it was distorted somewhat. I can't describe it any further other than saying it sounded like it was not of this world. (Yes, that sounds crazy, but if you heard it, you might be at a loss to desbrite it yourself.) We both looked at each other and whispered, "did you hear that?" Fumbling with the house keys, we ran into the house, and because we were obviously concerned with our neighbors' safety and well-being, we quickly locked the door and closed the blinds.

I posted about what we heard in a local Facebook group. We received several responses from people who have heard a similar noise before, so naturally we began to discuss the famous White Bluff Screamer of local lore. There were also other (perhaps more rational) explanations offered, such as the mating cry of foxes and other nocturnal critters. We listened to a few YouTube recordings, and while certain animal cries are certainly unsettling, it wasn’t quite what we heard.

Yes, it might have been our collective imaginations. We both really get into the spirit of Halloween, after all. Maybe it was simply a wildcat, or a coyote, or a fox. (What foxes really say, after all, is far more troubling than the song suggests.)

All I can tell you for certain is that we heard a scream coming from the forest near the house, and we aren’t likely to soon forget it.