Wait ‘Til Jesse Comes
Adapted from folklore by Craig Dominey
A long time ago, an old traveling salesman was riding through rural Mississippi as he had done for more years than he could remember. His trusty old horse seemed as tired as he was, trudging down the long dirt road toward yet another strange town. The old man rubbed his red eyes with his cracked, leathery hands and sighed — this was no longer the life for him.
As night fell, a hard rain suddenly crashed down upon them. As booming thunderclaps rattled the dark skies above, the old man decided he better find some shelter for the night. But there were no homes as the far as the eye could see.
Then, in a white flash of lightning, he spotted a dark, run-down house sitting up on a hillside. He found his way in the dark up to the front door and knocked. To his surprise, the door creaked open on its rusty hinges, revealing a musty old living room — empty, save for one chair and a stone fireplace.
“Hello?” called out the salesman. Nobody answered, so the salesman figured he would wait out the storm in the house. He was also surprised to find that the fireplace was stocked with a fresh pile of wood. He took out a box of matches and lit himself a roaring fire. As he sat down in the wooden chair, he could feel the many miles of his journey creeping through his bones. The sound of rain falling on the tin roof above relaxed him, and before he knew it, he fell fast asleep.
A couple of hours later, something startled him from his sleep. He woke up and saw a black cat standing in front of the roaring fire, staring at him through bright yellow eyes. The cat walked up to the chair, purred loudly and rubbed up against the salesman’s leg. “Nice kitty,” said the salesman as he rubbed the cat’s back, “very nice kitty.”
“Wait ’til Jesse comes,” purred the cat in response.
The salesman suddenly froze, then laughed it off. I must be dreaming, he thought — surely that cat didn’t just speak to me! He dozed off again, the warmth of the fire filling his aching bones.
After another hour, the salesman suddenly awoke again. This time there were two black cats sitting in front of him — but the second cat was as big as a wolf! They both stared at him intensely through searing yellow eyes.
“What shall we do with him?” asked the second cat to the first in a booming voice.
“Let’s wait ’til Jesse comes,” hissed the first cat.
The salesman shook his head, thinking that his long, tiring travels had finally gone to his brain. For this was the strangest dream he had ever dreamt. He sighed and fell back asleep.
Another hour passed, and the salesman awoke again. This time there were three black cats staring at him — but the third cat was as big as a horse, with large, menacing eyes that seemed to burn with yellowish evil. The third cat turned to the other two and said in a loud voice that drowned out the booming thunderclaps outside:
“Shall we do it now?”
“Soon, very soon,” hissed the first cat. “Let’s wait ’til Jesse comes.”
Well, now the salesman had heard enough. He leapt out of the chair, flung open the door and ran as fast as he could out into the ferocious storm. He scrambled onto his horse and rode away, shouting back over his shoulder:
“It was very nice meeting you, but when Jesse comes, tell him I couldn’t wait!”
- THE END -
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21 Responses to “Wait ‘Til Jesse Comes”
Warren:
Scholastic Books’ “13 Ghostly Tales” (1966) has this story told by Maria Leach as “Wait Till Martin Comes”. See http://www.librarything.com/work/1718914
themoonlitroad:
True, but there are many versions of it. It’s an old folktale.
tim:
lame how it doesnt tell who jesse is and doesnt have that much action
chelsea addvensky:
that was the stupidist thing i have ever heard!!
j/k i kinda liked it
Javier M:
this is the scariest story ever, it was like no other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
coco:
that wasn’t bad i like skull lake better though!more scary would be nice!
Alycia:
Who exactly IS Jesse?
Marissa:
i don’t get it
iheartdoggies:
what? I dont get it. Ummm are they gonna do somthing horrible to the salesman?
ALEX:
JESSE WAS PROBABLY THE OWNER OR LIKE A MONSTER… I MEAN THINK BOUT IT, FIRST A CAT, THEN WOLF, AND THEN HORSE… ITS GETTIN BIGGER EACH TIME…
Fennis:
Great story, in any incarnation. Spooked me as a kid.
nomad87:
i read this story elsewhere, but the guy was a preacher and not a salesman. I think that jesse was supposed to represent the fear of the unknown.
M.G.G:
I also read the same one Nomad87 also i have a book wait till helen comes it’s nothing like this a bit long but whoever owns this site should totally check it out ll expect a reply from you site owner thanks for making this site i love it
vicky hopper:
it is a childrens tale its in a book and jesse is a little cat that sits on the lap of him and shouts in his ear ive heard it before.
Lina:
what the…?
ButterMilk:
… I don’t get it! Who’s Jesse!? Where’d the kitties come from?
What sick person would give cats so much steroids they would grow to the size if a horse and a wolf!!?? And, the old man (salesman) was being VERy inpolite by leaving! Don’t we all want to know what happens if old men stay at strange homes?
Mrs. Guajardo:
My students would like to know who Jesse is. They felt that the author should write a second part so that readers discover who Jesse is. Overall, they dind’t like the story, but they thought it was cool predicting who Jesse might be. 4th grade
themoonlitroad:
This is an old folktale and in every version Jesse is never revealed. The reader is supposed to use his/her imagination.
Mrs. Guajardo:
Thanks for the clarification! Our class enjoys this website very much!
Rhoda:
Hee hee! I haven’t heard this since Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark! I couldn’t believe it was going to be the same one when I clicked on the title, but I’m pretty pleased that it was.
Emilee:
I liked it! That’s what’s wrong with the world today…people have no imagination, they just wanted everything handed to them. Use your brains! 
