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Ghosts of the Carolina Coasts : Haunted Lighthouses, Plantations, and other Other Sites
Ghosts of the Carolina Coasts Haunted Lighthouses Plantations and other Other Sites Author:Terrance Zepke Introduction...I love the South. Its filled with Palmetto trees, wild magnolias, stately old rice plantations, and lots of ghost stories. I heard my first one at summer camp when I was nine years old. The counselors told us one hair-raising tale after another, trying to scare us silly. Instead, I hung on every word, begging for more. I was... more » hooked. Ive lived in many places, but have spent most of my life in the Carolinas. Storytelling is a favorite pastime around here, especially in the Low Country, and I still love to hear a good yard about things that go bump in the night with no rational explanation. Ive spent years listening to and compiling some great tales, and I even learned a few new ones when I was working on Lighthouses of the Carolinas, my first book. Love, greed, murder, and mayhem are the things great stories are made of, and plenty of these elements can be found in the stories collected here. some of the tales are grounded in library research of old newspaper clippings; the rest are retold as they were recited to me. Some are well known, with many adaptations, and some have seldom, if ever, been heard. I have been told several of these narratives by locals, ranging from young to old, matrons to fishermen. Ive included some of my favorites, and the only change I have made is to adapt some of the language and dialogue to be more contemporary. As to whether theyre true or not is an individual decision. I choose not to explore logical or rational justifications, but to savor the tales as they were meant to be. I hope you will also enjoy them. And, if at night after youre tucked into bed, reading by the light of your night-table lamp, you hear something in the attic, a not-so-faint creaking or rustling sound, its probably just the wind sneaking in through a gap around the window, or the effects of an old house settling. Or is it? Maybe its the Ghost in the Attic, seeking revenge for his wifes betrayal. Or, maybe its the spirit of the keepers wife who was brutally Murdered at Cape Romain by her husband. Maybe shes come looking for him...Or maybe its a young woman, also known as the Lady in Blue, who is said to appear on particularly dark and stormy nights, warning others to "go back, go back..." It could also be the man who was Buried Alive calling to you, trying to get you to open his coffin...« less
Stories (true or not) about familiar places always interest me, and this was no exception. I've heard some of the stories before, but this is a good collection.