The twisted old tree located near Brigand’s Bay, NC looks like any other old twisted gnarled tree. But there is a dark legend that goes with it. In the 1700s a woman appeared on the island with her baby. The woman lived alone with the child and her neighbors being a superstitious bunch kept a close eye on her. They noticed when seasoned fisherman could not catch a thing, Cora would have an abundance of fish. Or when a local bully alleged that when he began to taunt Cora’s young child, the child spat and snarled like a wild cat. The next day the local bully fell gravely ill. Cora was a proud woman and paid no attention to the rumors that the neighbors spread about her. She held her head high and clutched the child to her as she walked through town.
Soon, however, the locals had enough with the strange happenings and decided to burn Cora and her child.
They dragged Cora and her child from their small hut and tied her to the gnarled tree. Suddenly, the child in her arms turned into a huge black cat with a red mouth. The cat sprang from Cora’s arms and disappeared into the woods. Black clouds frothed and foamed in the sky and suddenly lightning struck the tree. When the smoke cleared, Cora was gone. All that remained were the letters C O R A. Which can still be seen today.
The Freak Geek 