THE GREEN STAIN

Another neglected American horror legend from Balladeer’s Blog to help celebrate Halloween Month.

THE GREEN STAIN

On Manhattan Island in the early 1800s a druggist named Rigdon ran an apothecary/ drug shoppe. He was a decidedly unfriendly man but the excellence of his concoctions and their rapid effect on his customers ensured him steady business.

The man’s wife and children seemed to fear the man and were a decidedly nervous lot whenever they were found to be helping out at Rigdon’s establishment. It was noticed by the gossips that feline and canine pets of the children never seemed to be around very long, and the children would refuse comment on the disappearances.

It came to be one day that the chemist’s wife was seen no more around the shop or at church. Rigdon met inquiries with a rude silence then brusquely changed the subject to whatever business had brought the ailing into his establishment.

One afternoon Parson Winchester overheard the ill-mannered druggist muttering darkly to his children in the room just behind the counter. Having enough of Rigdon’s intolerant attitude toward all around him the Parson invited himself behind the counter and into the room in question.

Parson Winchester was shocked to see none of the children in evidence. Rigdon was apparently talking to a dark green stain on the floor, seemingly the result of a few chemical spills. The chemist began berating the holy man for his intrusion and hustled him entirely out of the shop, warning him never to return.

Parson Winchester later told anyone who would listen about the event and the fact that, in addition to the green stain on the floor there was a half of a chair and a half of a table in the room. No other furnishings or signs of habitation.

Other customers of Mr Rigdon noticed that the children were never seen after that day. After that not even the proprietor of the store was spotted for nearly two weeks. When authorities finally dropped by to investigate they found the room behind the counter now completely devoid of furniture and a green stain that covered over half the floor. Rigdon’s hat was lying on the floor just beyond the stain.  

Long months went by with none of the Rigdon family being seen again and at last the abandoned shop was purchased by another businessman. The green stain was no wider than a barrel and the new owner assumed the entire story of the mysterious Rigdons was every bit as embellished by local gossip as the size of the stain had been. 

When the new proprietor noticed his hound dog missing and the green stain grown larger by approximately the size of his missing companion he changed his tune. He took the tales of the disappearance of the Rigdons more seriously now and even swore that they must have been swallowed up by whatever ungodly concoction Mr Rigdon had accidentally spilled upon the floor.

Before too much longer this Manhattan entrepreneur had also disappeared along with a few regular customers. The green stain now filled almost the entire floor again. This time around nobody was foolish enough to try to open a new business in the cursed building.

It was shut up and sealed off but occassionally adventurous boys would conspire to make their way into the former drug shoppe, never to be seen again by their playmates.

Decades later nearly all of the businesses on the block were torn down to make way for a larger establishment and the green stain was seen no more. +++

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