Spearfinger

Long ago, in the woods, there was a woman named Spearfinger. This Cherokee witch was feared among her people along the eastern side of Tennessee and western part of North Carolina. She was described as being forty feet tall with skin like rock that no weapon could penetrate. With one long razor sharp finger, she would sneak up behind you, stab it through your back and yank out your liver, eating it in one gulp.

More than anything, she loved the flesh of young children. Spearfinger could transform herself in to anything or anyone. You never knew if your friend or neighbor was actually them or the witch until it was too late.

One day, an indian village knew Spearfinger was fast approaching them. They developed a plan to dig a huge pit, surrounding the village, and cover it with branches and leaves. When she fell in, they would strike and kill her. The whole village came together, putting the plan in to action. One particular boy had trouble pulling his weight. His clumsy nature hindered their progress and his father told him to get out of the way. While feeling sorry for himself, he noticed a bird caught in a honeysuckle tree. Without realizing it, he gently freed the bird, but it didn't fly away.

Instead, it landed on the boys shoulder. The bird thanked him for his kindness and in returned, told him a secret about Spearfinger. It relayed to him that the witch's heart was not located in her chest but at the tip of her razor finger. He was so excited. He ran to his parents to tell them of this newly acquired knowledge. Before he could pass the secret on to his Mother, a horrible scream came from the forest.

Spearfinger was coming fast and was hungry. As she approached the village, she fell in to the pit. Everyone threw rocks at her, but she kept climbing to the top of the pit. They used bow and arrows but still didn't hurt her. Remembering what the bird told him, the boy ran to a warrior. He told him to aim straight at her spearfinger. The warrior raised his bow and arrow, aiming at the razor sharp finger and shot. The arrow went through Spearfinger's heart and she fell over dead. The people celebrated her demise with singing and dancing. From that day on, all the people listened when the little boy had something to say.

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