Venture to some of the tunnels, abandoned houses and lonely roads of Pennsylvania and you might come across Charlie No-Face aka Green Man. He was left horrifically mutilated and with glowing green skin after a severe electrocution.
What is weird is that some of the story is true.
What is weird is that some of the story is true.
A Typical Scenario
The Tunnel They drive towards the darkened tunnel as the rain pounds off the cars roof and the water sheets off the windows, each passing of the wipers sending miniature waves of water off to the side. Where they head is a place of legend, a refuge for a man... or maybe a spirit... who has terrorised this part of town for decades.
The couple are only newly together and her morales have proven to be a point of frustration for him. He wants more than she is willing to give but tonight he hopes to fix this.
This date, the term used loosely, is an effort on his part to literally scare the pants off her. He has heard stories of this place from his friends who have all lured their dates here for a night of scares and later something else.
For her this is a dumb attempt on his part. She too has heard of this place, who could not, what with all the legends all the kids have shared since high school. It is a well known spot for thrill seekers, dares and for strong morales to be beaten.
As the car slowly enters the tunnel the pounding of the rain subsides to a distant rattle, then hiss as a cover of darker darkness embraces them. They drive on for a few dozen metres and then stop, turning off the engines. They sit in the darkness waiting for the legend to reveal hitself but neither is too confident that it will – it is just a legend after all, isn't it?
Nothing happens.
After a few more minutes he remembers that the legend must be called. Pressing on the bumper set in his steering wheel he lets off two short, sharp beeps from his horn. The sound reverberates along the tunnel and disappears out the other end and into the night.
The call is answered.
It first presents with a dull, blurry light in the darkness. It begins coluorless but soon resolves into a green point of light. As the light approaches a shadow – a form is seen within. The form itself resolves into that of a man walking towards the car.
The couple are frozen in place, terror passes through their being as 'it' approaches.
The couple are only newly together and her morales have proven to be a point of frustration for him. He wants more than she is willing to give but tonight he hopes to fix this.
This date, the term used loosely, is an effort on his part to literally scare the pants off her. He has heard stories of this place from his friends who have all lured their dates here for a night of scares and later something else.
For her this is a dumb attempt on his part. She too has heard of this place, who could not, what with all the legends all the kids have shared since high school. It is a well known spot for thrill seekers, dares and for strong morales to be beaten.
As the car slowly enters the tunnel the pounding of the rain subsides to a distant rattle, then hiss as a cover of darker darkness embraces them. They drive on for a few dozen metres and then stop, turning off the engines. They sit in the darkness waiting for the legend to reveal hitself but neither is too confident that it will – it is just a legend after all, isn't it?
Nothing happens.
After a few more minutes he remembers that the legend must be called. Pressing on the bumper set in his steering wheel he lets off two short, sharp beeps from his horn. The sound reverberates along the tunnel and disappears out the other end and into the night.
The call is answered.
It first presents with a dull, blurry light in the darkness. It begins coluorless but soon resolves into a green point of light. As the light approaches a shadow – a form is seen within. The form itself resolves into that of a man walking towards the car.
The couple are frozen in place, terror passes through their being as 'it' approaches.
The Green Man Soon 'it' is close enough to be seen more clearly. A man, surrounded by a green glow that seems to emanate from his skin, his face completely disfigured, details blend into each other to almost give the impression of no face at all.
But a face is there, or what is left of it. The hole in his cheek, exposing his teeth pays testament to that. The nose is there but is a hollow rather than a external feature... but it is the eyes, two puffy areas of skin, they twitch as if the man is blinking, the muscles attempting to operate eyelids that are no longer seperate but rather fused together.
The couple have met the 'Green Man', also known as 'Charlie No-Face'. How this creature came to be in the tunnel is a story that the couple have heard time and time again – how he was an employee of the power company and was electrocuted by a downed power line (but sometimes its lightning). The power hideously burning and deforming the man. Whether he lived or not is open to debate, but he is still around, the man standing in front of their car is proof of this, as either physical or spirit... his horrific mutilation causing him to stay hidden away in his tunnel.
The Green Man reaches out towards the car. This action causes the couple to act. He quickly turns the key in the ignition, the car roars to life and putting it into reverse he speeds the car out of there in a reckless fashion.
This quick series of actions was not just out of fear, but it is well known that if Charlie touches your car, his electrical charge, the charge that gives him the green glow, can blow the engine, forcing you to spend even more time in the tunnels darkness with him.
They speed off into the night...
But a face is there, or what is left of it. The hole in his cheek, exposing his teeth pays testament to that. The nose is there but is a hollow rather than a external feature... but it is the eyes, two puffy areas of skin, they twitch as if the man is blinking, the muscles attempting to operate eyelids that are no longer seperate but rather fused together.
The couple have met the 'Green Man', also known as 'Charlie No-Face'. How this creature came to be in the tunnel is a story that the couple have heard time and time again – how he was an employee of the power company and was electrocuted by a downed power line (but sometimes its lightning). The power hideously burning and deforming the man. Whether he lived or not is open to debate, but he is still around, the man standing in front of their car is proof of this, as either physical or spirit... his horrific mutilation causing him to stay hidden away in his tunnel.
The Green Man reaches out towards the car. This action causes the couple to act. He quickly turns the key in the ignition, the car roars to life and putting it into reverse he speeds the car out of there in a reckless fashion.
This quick series of actions was not just out of fear, but it is well known that if Charlie touches your car, his electrical charge, the charge that gives him the green glow, can blow the engine, forcing you to spend even more time in the tunnels darkness with him.
They speed off into the night...
Fact and Fiction
Raymond Robinson This is one version of the legend of the Green Man aka Charlie No-Face. Although it is often set in tunnels around Pennsylvania (the most notorious location being an abandoned railway access tunnel in South Park Township), the Green Man legend also occupies abandoned houses and lonely unlit roads.
The core is generally the same – the power worker who was badly disfigured in an accident, his horrifying visage causing him to shy away from the world – it is the details that change ie the locations and where the electricity came from (lightning, powerline and some more savage versions state it was torture or acid).
Generally, if I was presenting a urban legend, that would be that, the story. But this legend is somewhat different, as parts of this story happen to be absolutely true, although exagerrated, as continual tellings seem to do.
Raymond Robinson was born October 29, 1910, in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. He was no doubt an ordinary child for the time and as such was prone to adventure. It was when he was eight years old that his life would change forever. As he was crossing the Morado Bridge near Beaver Falls he and his friends spotted a birds nest. Ray was dared to climb up to see if there were any eggs to snatch and boys being boys, Ray attempted to do just that.
The nest was located high up in the girders that spanned the bridge and as he climbed, tragedy struck – he contacted the electrical lines that powered the bridges trolley car.
Although Raymond survived (another child had died a year earlier at the same spot) he was marked for life. He lost an arm, an ear, both his eyes and his nose. He also had thick scar tissue all over which gave his skin a mixtures of grey and pink mottled tones. Due to such horrifying injuries he shied away from the public from that point on.
The core is generally the same – the power worker who was badly disfigured in an accident, his horrifying visage causing him to shy away from the world – it is the details that change ie the locations and where the electricity came from (lightning, powerline and some more savage versions state it was torture or acid).
Generally, if I was presenting a urban legend, that would be that, the story. But this legend is somewhat different, as parts of this story happen to be absolutely true, although exagerrated, as continual tellings seem to do.
Raymond Robinson was born October 29, 1910, in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. He was no doubt an ordinary child for the time and as such was prone to adventure. It was when he was eight years old that his life would change forever. As he was crossing the Morado Bridge near Beaver Falls he and his friends spotted a birds nest. Ray was dared to climb up to see if there were any eggs to snatch and boys being boys, Ray attempted to do just that.
The nest was located high up in the girders that spanned the bridge and as he climbed, tragedy struck – he contacted the electrical lines that powered the bridges trolley car.
Although Raymond survived (another child had died a year earlier at the same spot) he was marked for life. He lost an arm, an ear, both his eyes and his nose. He also had thick scar tissue all over which gave his skin a mixtures of grey and pink mottled tones. Due to such horrifying injuries he shied away from the public from that point on.
Birth of the Green Man Legend
'Charlie No-face' with some teens... Raymond hardly ventured out into the light for fear that he would frighten people – or because some locals had told him to stay in doors or he would frighten their children. It was at night that he would leave his family home and would walk the quiter stretch of local roads, mostly route 351. He carried a walking stick in his one hand and it is with that he would find his way, slowly walking in the darkness. It is also said he often wore a green shirt and pants which may give rise to the 'green man' part of the legend.
Although he tried his best to hide from the public, word soon got around of this strange man who would walk the lonely roads. Soon groups of people would go out in search for him nightly. Most of the time they would be curious, get a peak and leave it at that. At other times they would stop, have a quick chat to Raymond (who enjoyed having someone new to chat with) or even take a photo with him. In some rare instances some people would taunt him, call him names and otherwise act cruelly.
Although he tried his best to hide from the public, word soon got around of this strange man who would walk the lonely roads. Soon groups of people would go out in search for him nightly. Most of the time they would be curious, get a peak and leave it at that. At other times they would stop, have a quick chat to Raymond (who enjoyed having someone new to chat with) or even take a photo with him. In some rare instances some people would taunt him, call him names and otherwise act cruelly.
Raymond Robinsons resting place. Raymond Robinson continued his nightly walks until he went to live in a geriatric home. He passed away on June 11, 1985, aged 74.
It was the stories, the chinese whispers of his lonely nightly walks and his scarred, featureless face that gave rise to the legends of 'Charlie No-Face' and The Green Man. It is not really known where the part of the power company worker and the link to the tunnel came from but those are the aspects thast make this such a long lived legend, the fiction rather than the fact.
It was the stories, the chinese whispers of his lonely nightly walks and his scarred, featureless face that gave rise to the legends of 'Charlie No-Face' and The Green Man. It is not really known where the part of the power company worker and the link to the tunnel came from but those are the aspects thast make this such a long lived legend, the fiction rather than the fact.
Ashley Hall 2014
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