Jillian Chantal

Happy New Year! The writer’s of Tuesday Tales are starting 2024 with the word Lights. I’m still doing the paranormal story incorporating real ghost stories of my hometown. 

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To her shock, Lu suddenly spotted a woman, in a fancy gown from probably the 1700s, with no head walking toward her. A spirit for sure since there was no way anyone could be alive in that condition. Sometimes on the street, it was hard to tell who was living and who wasn’t but this time, there was no mistake.

“Aneto, I wonder why this lady isn’t afraid to be out and about. Maybe things are settling down in the spirit community.”

As they approached the apparition, the head appeared under its arm. “You can see me,” the woman said as Lu drew abreast.

It was weird to see a head talking under someone’s arm. “I can see you. I’m Lula Mae. May I ask your name and what happened to you?”

“I’m Sarah Wharton. We cannot worry about me now. There is a woman in distress over behind that house.” She pointed to an unpaved drive between two buildings. “Back there. I am unable to attract anyone’s attention to help her.”

Lu, full of trepidation, followed behind as Sarah led the way, silk skirts swishing.

Sure enough, just as she expected, there was a dead woman with her head detached from her body. Why me? It’s always me. And Detective Morgan is in the area. He’ll be the one they call. Great. Just great. Why didn’t someone else happen upon this?

She knew why. The house looked deserted and the one next to it was decorated for Christmas but all the lights were off. Perhaps gone to visit family for the holiday. No one would have been in this area but for Sarah coming to fetch Lu.

Lu went to pull her phone from her pocket to call the police station but remembered she’d left it at home. Turned off.

“Sarah, I’ll have to go find a way to call someone to come and take care of her. Are you all right?”

The spirit burst into tears. “No. I am not. It did not happen exactly like my own murder but only because there were no pirates and this lady’s father was not with her or shot.”

“Wait. Pirates?”

“Oh yes. My father and I were attacked by pirates. They shot him.”

“That’s horrible. I’m so sorry. They then killed you?”

“They did but I fought them. Gouged out an eye or two with my ring.” She held her hand out. There was a massive aquamarine on her ring finger. “They took it from my body but I got it back.”

Lu didn’t want to ask about that at all. Eye matter on a ring sounded awful. As did gouging them out of a person. But she guessed when someone was attacked, they fought with everything they had. Including fine jewelry. And pirates. Pirates were really here in town. That ship was probably real at one time.