Half a century ago, an unspeakable evil took place on Farnsworth road in Lapeer…
The Farnsworth Family once owned a small hotel that serviced the needs of the community. Granny and Old Man Farnsworth opened the Hotel when they were young and full of life. However, when Old Man Farnsworth horrifically lost his life to a self inflicted shotgun slug to the head, Granny lost the will to keep the hotel in working order. Their daughter Vivian had no interest in keeping the Hotel open for business, so it sat in the elements with no one to care for it. It did get used for something though. Vivian was neglected and shunned after Old Man Farnsworth passed. Granny had grown senile and unable to care for another human being, let alone herself, so Vivian had the responsibility of looking after Granny and her two boys. Vivian’s hate grew and she was eager for the opportunity to inflict pain. Known for her intolerance, Vivian liked to punish her two boys, Johnny and Michael, when they acted up. The punishment started out as a switch to the backside, but as the pain threshold of the boys increased, so did the punishments. A switch turned into a belt. A belt turned into a whip, and when the whip no longer inflicted an adequate amount of pain, Mother got demented. The boys would be dragged into the cellar of the Hotel and chained to the wall for days on end. They were given no food and barely enough water to survive. Mother found out that a straight razor was all she needed for an everlasting punishment. The scars were left as a reminder to the boys that they best not talk back to Mother. Little Johnny was the youngest and most mischievous son. He liked to play with fire when Mother wasn’t around. He knew nothing but pain from the day he was born, and the need to inflict pain was a burning desire that grew with each passing day. One cool October night, as his family lay sleeping in their beds, Johnny set fire to the kitchen. As he stood outside laughing at the screams of his family burning alive, he got his just dessert. A piece of the wall came crashing down on him, putting an end to his murderous rage. Granny was in the outhouse and survived the blaze, but the sight and sounds of her burning family drove her to the asylum. There was another son who survived the fire, but he was just as evil as Johnny. Michael was teased all his life about his weight. He would eat until he vomited from his gluttonous ways. On the night of the fire Michael awoke to a smoke filled room with fire ablaze all around. He tried desperately to escape the flames, but they began to burn his flesh. His screams filled the night air, but as the wall came crashing down on Johnny, Michael found his path to escape and ran away into the night. His head was cloudy with smoke and fumes and his body was burnt and black from soot and fire, but Michael had unfinished business. He found his tormentors in their homes fast asleep, and as he crept silently into their bedrooms he swiftly but aggressively cut off their heads. He kept the heads as a reminder of his pain and torment and put them on display for all to see, but Michael was still a lost soul wondering the forest for weeks. After 13 days he stumbled upon a small shanty town filled with drifters and carnies. Dehydrated, exhausted and desperate, Michael collapsed at the base of a barrel fire amongst several vagabonds. They took Michael into their community of outsiders and nursed him back to health. When he awoke several days later, his soul had transformed into the black hole that it is today. He is the eater of human flesh and devourer of souls and he frequents these parts. If you want to find Michael, he’ll be around… when the circus rolls into town!
