eurogamer.net
At midnight, under a full silver moon,
you can hear hoofbeats galloping
along the colonnade -
the wild ride of horses
who never arrive.
Their riders are now denizens
of the underworld,
seething with frustration,
brooding at how their lives were
so foolishly cut short
by a night of revelry,
that saw their wagon tipped
returning home
along that row of black poplars.
If you are faint of heart,
best not to venture
along that ghostly lane
when the moon is full.
Those who brave the dark
to hear the hoofbeats,
never do so again.
Ha, in Kelowna, there is a long driveway off Guisachan Road lined with tall poplars, leading to a small house. Near midnight, one night long ago, the daughter of the house heard hoofbeats galloping along the drive, but the expected horse and buggy did not arrive. The father and son, returning home after a night of drinking, had tipped their wagon and been killed. The local lore was if you went there at midnight of the full moon, you could hear the hoofbeats. Two local teens, when I lived there, decided this was hogwash, and parked there. Sure enough, they heard the hoofbeats and couldn't get out of there fast enough. They were so scared. I took poetic license with the closing, to make it even more ominous. Smiles.
As I am Irish, there are many ghost stories in our family history. I lived in a haunted building with a ghost who made her presence known for the year that we co-habited. We would hear footsteps overhead, go upstairs and no one was there. But once I felt her right behind me and a cold chill went up my spine.
for earthweal, where we are celebrating a week of the spirits and Samhain: A Hallowed Moondance
A chilling tale, Sherry...and yes, Ireland is full of ghosts, they tend to come out after the pubs close! JIM
ReplyDeleteThis is a bewitching, haunting tale! I once swear I heard a horse and carriage outside my father's house at night, which is unusual for a terraced house in the North of England!
ReplyDeleteGreat ghost tale, Sherry. Those approaching hoofbeats surely sorely sound like Doom.
ReplyDeleteBest to honor the spirits rather than try to prove they don't exist...
ReplyDeleteThrilling, Sherry! I love a good ghost story, the spookier the better. I’m currently listening to a series that has been on every weekday for the past two weeks on BBC radio 4, the History of Ghosts with Kirsty Logan (also on BBC Sounds). This one should have been included.
ReplyDeleteIt is weird how some places have a haunted feel. Sometimes there are places in the bush where I have felt really unsettled for no rational reason. When I've talked to others they say they have had the same feeling in that place. Life is stranger than we realise sometimes. Suzanne of Mapping Uncertainty
ReplyDeleteNow, that's a haunting tale. I can hear the hooves pounding the ground.
ReplyDelete