Text: “I had this story about an Ax Man I was told at summer camp when I was younger if that’s a legend. It was about this guy who had an ax and apparently hid in the woods behind the cabin in the back corner, cabin 13, and one night he axed through the roof and killed the campers and you could allegedly hear the campers scream on the rock by the cabin even still I got told it when I was a first year camper and it scared me a lot. I was always scared every year I would get placed in that cabin and I never walked back towards it.”

Context: The informant recounts a spooky story he heard at summer camp about an “Ax Man” who hid in the woods behind Cabin 13. The informant remembers hearing this as a first year camper, and it made him terrified of Cabin 13.

Analysis: The “Ax Man” taps into fears of being isolated in a scary place, especially at night. The idea of hearing the screams of past victims makes the story creepier, adding lingering danger. The informant’s fear of Cabin 13 shows how stories can stay with you, even influencing where you choose to go or avoid at camp.