While all those little ghosts and goblins are beginning to plot and plan for trick or treat...here's a bit of a "haint" tale to get you in the mood.
This here story comes from my daddy, who was born and raised a country boy in the hills and hollers of Eastern Kentucky.
My daddy, raised a country boy in Eastern Kentucky. |
Many a time he found himself out on such dark and moonless nights that he'd have to have one foot on the road and one foot in the roadside grass and weeds to stay on track walking back home. I've even heard him comment that about the only thing that ever worried him when he was out at night was passing people's houses where they kept dogs. He said some folks' dogs were mean, so he'd often be leary enough that he'd hit the hills and woods to avoid a run in with a dog if he was passing a place where he knew they kept an unfriendly one.
But despite how accustomed and unafraid of the dark hills my daddy was...there was still one night all of that changed... I''ll let my daddy tell you about this one in his own words...
"I got scared one time. I was comin' home one night. I don't know exactly where I was at. I'd walked a long ways. I guess I was probably down at my brother-in-law's. He run a store. And they would gather up there, a bunch of people, and they'd play Rook you know, or somethin' like that of a night..."
Rook cards |
Daddy, young and with hair, growing up in Eastern Kentucky! |
The house my daddy and his family lived in when he heard the scream on the hill. |
To this day, Daddy never has figured out what screamed and chased him from the hill that pitch dark Eastern Kentucky night. Some might pass it off as a prank, others might say it was a remnant mountain lion despite the authorities that be saying those were long wiped out...or a few might claim it was something far more ominous and sinister that screamed at him from the hilltop that night. Perhaps we'll never know...but the story of the one and only night that Daddy got scared in the hills has become a legendary tale in our family. I sure hope you've enjoyed hearing it as much as I have over the years.
Happy fall and Happy Halloween! Until next time, blessings to you and yours!