The Story of the Shack

This is not a story of my childhood but an experience while in my late 20’s. My husband and I lived on a little dead end street just 1 mile from the town’s main street. Even through we were just 1 mile away, this was a country setting. There were only 3 houses on the street with room for many more houses to be built. The street ended at the bottom of a large hill. Since there were only 3 houses on the street, it was a very safe place for my daughter and son to ride their bicycles and just play. The only cars that came down the road were usually those of the 3 families or their guests. Since this dead-end road was almost a mile in length, it became a great place for the local teenagers to park, watch the submarine races or “make out”. During the weekends of the summer months, many cars would drive down, stay an hour or two then leave. Usually by 10:30 or 11 pm all the cars would be gone. We could actually count the cars going down and coming back from the sound of the motors and the headlights.


One summer the action was very different. Around 10 p.m. or just after dark, numerous cars could be heard driving past the house but there were no headlights. These cars would not leave until the early morning hours. This activity continued daily for many weeks. I started to get curious because of several reasons: 1) the activity was daily not on the weekends and 2) the headlights were never on. It was like clockwork. The cars, at least two, would start down as soon as it was dark. After about 60 – 90 minutes, they would leave together and return about 45 minutes later. This cycle continued through out the evening until 2am or 3am. Then on one summer night, there could be heard noises of a party. This was a place for kids to “neck” but party. I just couldn’t take it any more, I had to find out about this area and why the kids were so secretive.

I got my jacket and turned it inside out so I could not be seen and grabbed a flashlight. My husband was concerned for my welfare, but since the cars had just left, I knew I had at least 45 minutes to explore, and I was taking the dog for protection. My husband could not go since someone had to stay with the children. So down the road I started.

I got to the natural line of trees. This was where the developer had stopped regarding the land for development. Just as I got to the trees, a car turned onto the road. Since our house was the last on the street, and we were not expecting company, I knew I was in trouble. Sure enough it was one the cars were came nightly, but the driver saw my husband sitting on the front porch. That meant that someone would have seen him coming down the road and he couldn’t have that. He would have to leave, which meant he had to turn around but he had already passed the last driveway. What could he do? What did I do?

When I saw the car turn onto the road, I knew I was in trouble. The whole idea was to explore the activities at the end of the road, and I couldn’t be seen. I did what any normal sneak would do, I hid. I did not have time to get to the trees, but there was a ditch. I drove into the ditch. James Bond or any spy would have been proud of the skill I had in this desperate moment. While I was laying flat in the ditch, would you believe the car turn around right next to me? I had to be careful not to get run over. Of course my husband saw where I drove and of course, thought the car had run over me. He was frantic. The car left and I got up and waved to my husband, letting him know I was okay. Then I continued down to the hill.

I got to the bottom of the hill and I saw a worn path along the foot of the hill. I followed the path and after only 25 yards, I made a discovery. There was a little shack, completed with a well title roof, a new door and windows. I looked into the windows and I saw an over-stuff chair, a make shift bed and a pot-belly stove. All the building materials looked new and some of the materials were lying outside with construction site information still on them. The flooring was study and was raised above the ground. I looked under the house and found several cases of beer. This was more than a place for the teenagers to make out; this was a place to do some serious parting.

I had many concerns about what I had found and I did not like what it was adding up do. I went home and of course my husband was upset that I had not returned after the car had left the area. I told him that I knew I had some time, at least 45 minutes, until the car returned again. I told him what I had found. He then walked down to the hill and confirmed everything that I had reported. We watch the activity to the shack for several days until my husband even got concerned. We called the local police and reported what we had found. The police investigated our claims, return with a case of beer. He said that the police was wondering where these parties were being held. It seemed that at one of these parties, a young girl had gotten so drunk that she passed out and then aspirated. She had almost died and her parents wanted to find who was responsible. Also, local building contractors were reporting robberies from their building sites. All the items that had been stolen were part of the shack or lying on the ground next to the shack. The officer confiscated the beer and gave it to my husband. He said he couldn’t take it with him and he could not leave it at the shack.

The police got a hold of the owner of the land, who lived in Florida, and informed him of the activity that was occurring on his land. He did not approve of the activity and wanted the shack destroyed. The policy contacted the fire department and set up a controlled burn to destroy this “party house”. The cars who traveled down our road in secret never return. There were no arrests since it could not be proved who actually stole the building material to build the shack.

The lesson is: 1) it is amazing what you can do when it is required of you, 2) it is good to be curious, 3) be aware of the activity in your neighborhood. Then a normal routine is changed, it is a good idea to find the reason.