During the Great Depression of the 1930s, life was incredibly difficult for everyone living in rural Kentucky, especially those who relied on farming as their primary means of survival. South central Kentucky was particularly hard-hit, where poverty was rampant and towns were scattered and sparsely populated. The residents primarily consisted of poor farmers struggling to make ends meet. Otis, his wife and two pre-teen children faced these challenges head-on but unfortunately couldn't overcome the hardships like their neighbors did.

One day, Otis's family vanished without a trace, leaving behind only whispers and rumors among their fellow townspeople. When questioned, Otis claimed that his wife and children had moved on to Glasgow, Kentucky, without him. No one dared question this claim as they knew Otis well enough to believe whatever he chose to say about the situation. In reality, Otis had taken matters into his own hands early one night. He murdered his family in cold blood, burying their bodies next to large boulders along a hillside.

These massive boulders were remnants of ancient glaciers that had long since vanished but left behind these imposing features scattered throughout south central Kentucky. Otis dug shallow graves, just deep enough to hide the evidence from prying eyes and maintain his secret. The local community accepted Otis's story without hesitation, never suspecting his true intentions or actions.

Otis continued to live in their small shack after this gruesome event, maintaining a polite demeanor but exhibiting an odd sense of detachment and withdrawal from social interactions. Life went on as usual for the community, eventually improving for many after the Great Depression came to an end. Otis took advantage of this newfound prosperity to build himself a large new house. The townspeople assumed he would eventually find love again and start a family but Otis remained alone, choosing isolation over companionship.

He was seen as a recluse, spending his days tending to his farm and nights in the solitude of his large empty home. He never married or had children, remaining a solitary figure despite having ample space for a large family. It seemed that the darkness within him had taken root, preventing any sense of normalcy from entering his life.

Four decades passed since Otis had committed this terrible act, leaving a stain on his soul that could never be washed away. Haunted by the weight of his actions, he chose an unconventional method to end his own life - hanging himself in a peculiar fashion. He tied a rope to a door handle, looped it over the door and attached the noose around his neck on the other side of the door. After that, simply sat down, waiting for death to come. Otis could have simply stood up at anytime but he chose not to.

After several days had passed, one of Otis's neighbors stumbled upon his lifeless body. His expression was contorted in a defiant sneer as if he were challenging fate itself even in death. The house Otis had built remained vacant, changing hands a few times over the years without any major incidents. Then, around 1981, close to fifty years after the Great Depression began, a new family moved into the property. They were welcomed warmly by the townspeople who hoped they would stay for good.

Amongst them was fifteen-year-old Jim, the oldest son of the family. While helping move furniture into their new home, Jim felt an unsettling sense of coldness and emptiness in one particular room, making him reluctant to enter it. He shared this feeling aloud which caught the attention of a local man who had heard stories about Otis's bizarre death within those very walls. This man revealed to Jim and his family that Otis had taken his own life by hanging himself on that same door Jim had found so disturbing.

Looking at the door itself, Jim was struck by a sudden vision as if guided by an unseen force, instantly knowing exactly what Otis looked like and how he had met his end. He recounted this experience to the townspeople who accepted it without question, for in rural Kentucky, such phenomena were not uncommon. They believed Jim possessed some kind of gift and hoped that the new family would not move away.

Life settled into a comfortable routine for the new family residing in the old Otis house. The children adapted quickly to their surroundings, finding solace in making friends with the local kids who eagerly welcomed them into their fold. However, Jim remained hesitant to enter that particular room, still feeling an inexplicable sense of dread whenever he neared it.

One afternoon, while exploring near the large boulders where Otis had hidden away dark secrets, Jim felt an irresistible urge to pause and take in the landscape around him. As he stood there, lost in thought, a vision suddenly swept him back through time. He watched as Otis, clad in clothing from the 1930s, buried three bodies under the cover of night. In Jim’s vision, Otis was a murderer.

Filled with urgency to share his revelation, Jim rushed back to town eager to recount everything he had witnessed in his vision. When he met an elder who listened intently to his account, the elder nodded solemnly. "Yes," he said quietly “Otis had a family long ago, Isabel and a few children.. He told us that they left him.” The truth of Otis's past was now more widely understood within the community, thanks to Jim's unexpected gift.

When the townsfolk followed up on Jim's vision by investigating near the large boulders where he had experienced his haunting encounter, they made a grim discovery. Amidst the rocky landscape, they uncovered a handful of bones and most heartbreakingly, a child’s skull. The passage of fifty years had weathered these remnants to almost nothing more than fragments of what once were Otis's family.

Given the time elapsed and their distrust in the police, the community decided on a different course of action. With respect and solemnity, they buried these remains in the local cemetery. This act served as both an acknowledgment of their tragic past and a way to honor Otis's victims with dignity. Through this gesture, the townsfolk sought to bring some peace to restless spirits and to themselves, finally laying to rest the dark secrets that had long lingered over their community.

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