Old covered wooden bridge spanning the turgid Mason's River a mile south of Middleton. Weeping willows stand vigil on either side of the Cavelred old dirt road. The bridge provides access to Middleton for the families that live on the other side of Masons River. Eccentric and odd to the city folk, these families live in quiet seclusion from the growing urban setting without the power, water and waste facilities of Middleton. The area just beyond the bridge is sometimes referred to by the slang "Hollows", after the nickname given for the bridge that spans the river. The bridge itself if only a half mile further down Cavelred from the turnoff into "Lovers Lane" |
|
The covered bridge is always painted a cheery bright red with white trim. An accident of design causes it to appear like a huge gaping mouth over the road among the willows at night. The bridge is always well kept and appears regularly maintained, although there is no record of maintenance from the city. It is generally assumed that some of the Lidescu families living in the Hollows keep it maintained. The river flowing under the bridge appears safe, but there is a long history of drownings at the site. Rumors and tales float campsites and sleepovers that the bridge and area around the bridge is haunted by those who drowned there. Some say that the ghosts lure children into the waters, who in turn drown themselves. This is apparently somewhat true, as the legends surrounding the area tend to draw the curious from time to time, some of them dragged out of the river later. When children go missing from home, this is one of the places the Middleton police department checks first. Most of the time they come upon them sleeping in the early morning hours or playing in the woods near the unauthorized campsites that dot the area. |
Masons river flows over a rock shelf just past the bridge in a small waterfall. The erosion forms a small dry cave back underneath the fall, about the size for a few adults to sit in. The water slows after the fall into a wide, slow moving pool. This is a favorite summer spot for camping and fishing among Middletons younger population. Due to repeated accidents at the site, some of Middletons residents have called for the bridge to be closed down, but as it is past the city limit, the Middleton council has no authority to do so. The stance of the county is that the bridge would be too costly to replace, and that the responsibility for the children of Middleton falls on the parents. The Sleepy Hollow bridge has spanned the river for as long as anyone can remember, and for many holds the summertime memories of their youth. For this reason, most of the residents of Middleton would probably resist the bridge being torn down anyway should the county decide to do something about it. Performance for Sleepy Hollow may be done at #COS_SleepyHollow. |