Part 1 — Roy the Moonshiner
According to a story shared online, there was a man named Roy who spent most of his life hidden deep within the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina.
Roy wasn’t a hunter.
He wasn’t a trapper.
And he certainly wasn’t a tourist.
Roy was a moonshiner.
For years he made his living producing illegal liquor in the mountains. Like many moonshiners before him, he relied on secrecy. The farther his stills were from roads and towns, the less likely anyone was to discover them.
Unfortunately for Roy, somebody always seemed to find them.
One still would operate for a few months before being shut down.
Then another.
Then another.
No matter how carefully he hid them, sooner or later someone would stumble across the operation.
The losses began adding up.
Eventually Roy became convinced that if he wanted to continue, he needed a location so remote that nobody would ever think to look there.
That search eventually led him to an elderly mountain resident.
The old man had spent nearly his entire life exploring the wilderness.
If there was a hidden valley, forgotten trail, or isolated section of mountain, he knew about it.
According to the story, Roy explained his problem and asked whether such a place existed.
The old man sat quietly for a long moment.
Then he nodded.
“There is a place.”
Roy immediately leaned forward.
The old man grabbed a piece of paper and began drawing a map.
As he worked, he explained that the location was nearly impossible to reach.
The hike would take two full days.
Most people never ventured that far into the mountains.
There were no roads.
No cabins.
No trails worth mentioning.
Just wilderness.
Finally, the old man slid the map across the table.
“If you build a still there,” he said, “nobody will ever find it.”
At first Roy was thrilled.
Then the old man added something else.
“But if I were you, I wouldn’t go.”
The room fell silent.
Roy laughed.
“Why not?”
The old man’s expression never changed.
“Bad things are out there.”
Roy had heard stories his entire life.
Mountain spirits.
Strange creatures.
Ghosts.
Wild men.
Every valley seemed to have its own legend.
He wasn’t interested in legends.
He was interested in a place where nobody could find his operation.
So, a few days later, Roy gathered several trusted men, packed supplies, and headed toward the location marked on the map.
The old man’s warning stayed in the back of his mind.
But not enough to stop him.
(Part 2) ➡️ https://storiesworld.us/archives/9520