Ghosts of the Bluegrass

2. Disappearing Ghosts

Disappearing ghosts make themselves known by manifesting in human form rather than by moving objects, creating disturbances , or making eerie sounds. Some of these ghosts are seen only in particular conditions or settings, probably associated with their earthly life, while others may be encountered at various places. The latter is true of the ghost in the first story in this chapter, “Walking Companion.” Sometimes ghosts seem to seek human contact. They may even walk along beside a person or sit in a car, and the mortal receives quite a shock when the ghost suddenly disappears. In a few cases ghosts may pursue the person for a short time, but they seem more likely to disappear suddenly. It is apparent that not all spirits wish to be seen and so may disappear when they are sighted. The spirit that lives in a house may be as disturbed by an encounter as are the mortal inhabitants. This could be the case in “Confederate Soldier Returns,” in this chapter. The most common type of “disappearing ghost” story is that of the vanishing hitchhiker, a theme so popular that it was even used on an episode of The Twilight Zone, and as the title of a book by folklorist Jan Brunvand. In earlier days when fewer people had cars, hitchhikers were more prevalent and were routinely given rides, unlike today, when this is considered an unwise practice.1 These stories usually have something to do with a fatal accident that happened during travel, and they involve the ghost trying to complete the journey. (This type of ghost is, therefore, also dealing Disappearing Ghosts Chapter 2 29 30 Ghosts of the Bluegrass with unfinished business.) We are not always sure where the ghost is going, but it often seems willing to spend eternity trying to get there. This type of ghost raises some intriguing questions. Are the vanishing hitchhiker and its ilk conscious of their actions, and do they act with intent, or are they a form of trapped energy endlessly repeating an action but with no real awareness of self or of their effects on others? Because the vanishing hitchhiker is so common, one familiar with ghost tales may groan when she realizes she is about to hear another version. But with careful listening, she may hear different circumstances than before, and new twists on the familiar theme. This chapter closes with several versions of this popular form. Walking Companion My brother had a rare experience about sixty or seventy years ago. He was going to Lexington to school and was coming back on the Inter-urban at eleven o’clock at night. [The Inter-urban, a trolley line that ran from Georgetown to Lexington, was used by workers, students, and shoppers.] He would ride out to Lexington Pike from home on a horse and tie it there. Then he would go on the Interurban . When he came home, he’d come back on the Inter-urban, get on his horse, and ride home. When he got off one night, nigh on 11:30, the horse was gone, so he had to walk home. He got about halfway home, and there was a place on the Pisgah Road about a hundred yards long where the trees on each side of the road hung clear over and made a canopy. It was dark as pitch in there. He had gotten almost through, when suddenly there was a woman walking right along beside him dressed in a black, black dress, and a black hat with a veil over her face, and everything. She was just there! She didn’t say anything. She kept step with him. He kept stepping faster and faster, and she would keep stepping faster and faster. He finally broke into a run. He was about a mile and a half from home, and he came on home in a dead run. That woman disappeared when he broke into a run—she just Disappearing Ghosts 31 disappeared. She’s been appearing in Georgetown. She’s made several appearances to people when they’re walking home at night. This woman in black will be walking along beside them. They turn around and look at something. Then they look back and she’s gone, no more signs of her at all. She was seen by I don’t know how many people. Half the town was talking about her. This was the occurrence...