For years North Carolina has been considered a hotbed for folklore and stories passed on from generation to generation. Two of the best story tellers in my small town were my grandfathers Troy and Joe. Troy would share his story with anyone within hearing distance and never met a stranger. Joe (my namesake) would only share with family, but you had to ask first.
Troy would begin his stories with, ” this is a true story”. With that comment he had us hook, line, and sinker. Joe on the other hand had a mysterious look with his Indiana Jones hat pulled low over his piercing blue eyes, and the ever present five o’clock shadow. He spoke quietly, so you had to hang onto every word.
Living on the cotton mill hill families were usually very tight with each other, especially in times of a family member near dying. Neighbors would have a sitting up vigil until the family member passed away. Troy tells of one experience he encountered with a neighbor lying on his death bed.
The living room had very dim lights to respect the grieving family. As family and neighbors gathered in the living room, suddenly a small light appeared and began to move around the room. The light went from family picture to family picture pausing a few seconds before moving to the next picture. When the light came to the picture of the dying family member it stopped and glowed brightly for a few seconds. As the light disappeared, a family member came out of the dying man’s bedroom and said he just died.
Joe lived a stones throw from the cotton mill and an old family grave yard. Just down the dirt road leading to the grave yard a little old lady would lead her milk cow to a nearby pasture. She would acknowledge Joe in the morning and evening when she went to get the cow. Joe usually knew when she was near because of the clanging bell around the cows neck. It dawned on Joe that for a period of time he had not seen the little old lady with her cow. Shortly after his concerns, he heard the little lady had passed and the family had sold the cow.
Months after her death Joe was sitting on his front porch in the early evening when he heard the sound of the clanging cow bell coming from the direction of the old grave yard. Suddenly, as the clanging got louder there was an imagine of the little lady leading her cow home. It was so vivid, Joe walked to the dirt road looking for hoof prints, there were none to be found.
Today Halloween is a time for store bought costumes, decorations, candy and maybe a scary movie. However sitting at the knees of these two personalities, with wide eyes, a gaping mouth, and my hair standing on end, it was the only Halloween I needed. “Fact or Fiction”, ????? I came to my conclusion. Happy Halloween.
Be safe.
