Buckled up, are we? A chilling piece of news shakes the very marrow of the Ozark-esque, tranquil hamlet of West Virginia! Hold your gossip goblets as a murky tale starts to weave its magic. Intrepid teenager, Austin, believed to be nature’s own athleisure-bedecked Arsenal, lost in the labyrinth of his own hunting adventure. Yes, the heart-stopper of a story you’ve heard is true, my fellow townsfolk! This hapless youth has been spread all over the newsreels, his story steaming hot on every baying satellite box across the nation.
Let’s nip the gratuitous suspense right in the bud. This teenage Tarzan, only 15-years young, embarked on hunting trip with his weather-beaten, seasoned tracker of a grandpa. That’s right! A family tradition handed down through sizzling tales over the fireside on snowy evenings. But this latest excursion turned darker than the charred ashes of their cozy stories. Our sweet-faced blonde, a la the West Virginia wonderkid, was tasked with carrying out the age-old ritual this Sunday past. But the woods swallowed him without even the courtesy of a burp.
As the maddening search pressed on, hope was harder to spot than a chameleon in a patch of kaleidoscopic tie-dye. From all corners of this scattered, straggling community, bloodhounds, drones, and every able body was deployed in a frenzied scramble to locate young Austin. Alas, it was not enough!
Monday evening, the horrid verdict emerged like a clumsy jack from a battered box. Our wholesome teen was found, his light extinguished, snuffed out by that heartless old crone, nature. Can you feel the sting? The wails echoed across each hill and holler, the facade of Appalachian peace shattered, leaving us all floundering in a cesspit of morbid curiosity.
While the autopsy has yet to spill its elaborate scientific jargon, the town has descended into a fever pitch of excruciating curiosity. What beast or pitfall claimed our vibrant young hero? As we tarry at the precipice of knowing, weavering in the unease, let’s raise a glass to the lost spirit of Austin, strapping lad of hunting prowess, and overall outdoorsman extraordinaire. Today, we remember the departed, only tomorrow will the tale weave its truth.