Part 7 of the 6th Annual McRoll in the REAL World Holiday Marathon.
There will be a new story every day between now and January 3rd. (Though we retain the right to keep going until January 5th if we're having too much fun.)
Devilishly Good Fun
"So when we were kids and we'd have giant sleepovers with all our cousins here at Nonna's we always told stories and had hot chocolate," Angela said as the group all settled around the living room after dinner. She elbowed her brother. "And once someone scared our cousin Frederick so bad he told our mom."
"It was not my fault he scared easily," Danny said with a grin. "And liked to tattle."
"You told ghost stories?" Casey asked and took a sip of hot chocolate.
"I told a historic New Jersey legend," the still smiling detective insisted. He leaned towards the snack table and grabbed a few knot cookies. "Actually, you should all hear it because you're family and it's part of the awesome history of the great state of New Jersey."
"Like the stories about King Kamehameha?" Jacob asked. "We learned he was born into Hawaiian royalty. His mother's name was Kekuiapoiwa, and she was the daughter of a Kona Chief."
Danny tousled the boy's hair. "That is a very cool legend, I like that one a lot. Ours are a little more … colorful."
"Tell us, Uncle Danno," Joan implored and the others nodded.
"Yeah, tell us." "Please?" Jacob and DJ echoed.
"Oh, here it comes," Gabby said, draping an arm over Grace's shoulders as the teen laughed out loud at her Uncle Steve's expression.
"Gabby and I can hear the wings flapping now."
"Danny, you know that's such…" Steve began.
"I wouldn't finish that statement, my friend," Danny teased. "We're not so far from exit 89."
"What's exit 89?" Kaityln asked.
"That, sweetheart, is how Jersey people identify where we live. By the exits on the Garden State Parkway. The highway that goes from the New York State border down to the end of New Jersey, in Cape May." He beamed at his sister who was chuckling at his enthusiasm to share details about his beloved home state. "Exit 89..." he paused for dramatic effect and Catherine chuckled, "is where the Pine Barrens start and so it's where the legend begins." Looking around at the kids, he asked, "Are you ready for an awesome story?"
When the chorus of "Yeses" filled the air he settled back and ignored at his partner's pained look.
"Okay, now when we get home, you can all say you've been to the coolest state. The state of that gave the world baseball, Monopoly, Bon Jovi, Sinatra, Springsteen -"
"Pingsteen!" Angie threw up her hands and bounced in Elizabeth's lap, causing everyone to laugh.
"That's right, Angie, my birthday buddy. Good girl."
He leaned over and passed her a cookie and she said, "Yay! Tank ooh!" before taking a bite.
"But in addition to the other awesome facts you'll learn while you're here, the legend you can share back in Hawaii is the story of the famous… Jersey Devil."
"The hockey team's got a legend?" Cody asked.
Jadon looked interested. "That sounds cool, D-Dawg. I might even have to watch a game if that's the case."
"Ah, my uninformed young friends, I'm talking about the legend the hockey team was named for. The actual Jersey Devil."
"It's just a story," Grace whispered softly to DJ, not wanting to spook the six year old, and Steve gently squeezed her shoulder when DJ whispered back, "It's okay. I'm not scared of ghost stories." The former SEAL knew the boy had seen real, human monsters in his short life and therefore a fairytale one wasn't more than a tall tale, but he appreciated Grace's never ending desire to care for others, most especially her cousins.
"There's scary monsters in lots of Disney movies," Joan announced. "Good always wins, just like when you and Uncle Steve get all the bad guys." She looked at Mary, then Aaron. "Right, Daddy?"
Aaron nodded and kissed his daughter's blonde head as Danny began his narrative.
Steepling his fingers, he leaned forward a bit, then back, as he said, "So, the Jersey Devil. There are people who say it's just a legend, folklore, but there are so many stories about Mrs. Leeds' 13th child, so who really knows?"
"Dramatic, much, brother of mine?" Angela barked a laugh, and winked at Steve, but Danny continued unfazed. He was in his element and enjoying every second.
"To give you an idea how empty the area is even though New Jersey is the most densely populated state, the Pine Barrens has about fifteen people living in each square mile, compared with over 1000 people per square mile in the rest of the state. The Barrens is over a million acres in size.
Now, Mrs. Leeds lived in the Pine Barrens in the mid-1700s and had a dozen kids. When she knew her 13th was on the way, she said 'This one is gonna be the devil.' Meaning she just probably thought it would be misbehaved," he softened the tale for the younger kids.
"It was a stormy night and the baby was born looking fine. But then," he took a breath, "it turned into a dragon-like creature and flew up the chimney to go into the Pine Barrens. It's been scaring locals and people who wander where they don't belong down there ever since."
He was spotted as a flying creature flapping its wings that in the 1800s even a cannonball fired directly at him couldn't stop. Napoleon's brother, Joseph, once said he was hunting on his estate when he saw it."
As late as the 1960s, so many people claimed to have seen it, that a group in Camden offered a $10,000 reward and to build a private zoo to keep the Jersey Devil if he could be captured, but he's too smart and has never been caught." Danny sat back and smiled.
Steve made a scoffing sound and said, "Someone was probably drunk and saw a huge bird."
"So you say," Danny gave his best friend a 'ye of little faith' look.
"Nobody tries to hurt him anymore, though, right?" Kaitlyn asked, and Danny smiled softly - first at her, then Jenna, who was shaking her head at her daughter's absolute compassion for every living creature.
"No, hon, nobody bothers him these days. They just stay out of the woods down the shore and let him live his life."
Kaitlyn smiled back. "Good, 'cause he should be left alone to live safely." Turning to Joseph, she mused, "If he does exist, do you think maybe he's a mammal like a huge bat? Or a really big bird of some kind?"
Joseph shrugged. "Maybe, sweetheart. Who knows what creatures we haven't yet discovered."
"Like Nessie." She recalled how she'd showed him an article about the Loch Ness Monster a few months before.
"Exactly." He nodded.
"Hey! Maybe it's a dinosaur. One that's still alive," Jacob added.
"How about if it looks like a dinosaur," Dylan said. "Like a monitor lizard or komodo dragon does, only this one flies."
Danny clasped his hands behind his head and leaned back as the kids and adults began to discuss possibilities. "And there is the best part of the legend. No one knows for sure. People have been trying to guess for centuries, and now you guys can, too."
DJ looked at Catherine. "Daddy could find him if he wanted," he said with confidence before turning to face him. "Couldn't you?"
Steve smiled broadly at the way the name came easily from DJ. "I think maybe it's best if he's left alone." He winked at the boy as Catherine kissed the little guy's cheek. "Like Kaitlyn said."
"But Uncle Steve probably could find him," Grace agreed. "But then the legend wouldn't be as much fun, right?"
DJ nodded but gave a smile to Steve
Danny shared a look with his partner and grinned at the child's absolute confidence in him. "And that, DJ, is what New Jersey stories are for. Fun."
#End. Thanks for reading!
Stay tuned tomorrow as the marathon continues!
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