Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Halloween Bash 2007: Ghost Story 1 - A Deadly Prank

Until I was 14 years old I lived in a small town, a small town of about three thousand people where everyone knew each other, everyone attended everyone's wedding party, everyone celebrated new born baby, or everyone gathered at someone's funeral. Everyone knew everyone's affairs. Everyone watched the same shows and patiently waited for the next episode. And by the way there was only one channel, and no commercials and the TV was still black and white. Beyond all this the gossiping was big, and there was not a single day when we didn't have a gossip or story to tell. As title states, there were many ghost stories going on in our town. Sometimes it was parent's greatest tool to keep children disciplined by scarring them with ghosts - not very bright idea. We as kids never saw ghost, but we knew and we had to believe that they existed as our parents and grandparents made us to believe.

When someone died, at that time the body of the deceased was kept in the house for three days. For three days most of the time grandmothers and sometimes mothers, and may be grandfathers, would gather around the body, sit for hours and talk. Sometimes they would bring us kids so you could actually listened to the real prayers - gossips and ghost stories, lol.

Not to go into scary mode immediately, this ghost story told here is a ghost prank played among few guys - unfortunately tragic. One day bunch of twenty year olds decided to play a prank and bet some money on two guys who claimed that are not scarred of ghosts at all - they believed that there were none. One of the guys was told, if you such a hero, then go to the cemetery's funeral home before eleven at night jump into the coffin and close the lid. He was instructed to lay in it until pass 12 am. At 12 am - the so called ghost hour, a ghost will come to the funeral home. The cemetery had this old funeral home which was not used at all, I think it was build by Germans who lived in our town before. However, it was well maintained by the cemetery's gate keeper.

Later on, the pranksters told other guy, if you such a hero, then go to the cemetery's funeral home just before 12 am. Bring some hazel nuts with you and start cracking them on top of the coffin at exactly 12 am. We are sure that the ghost will show up. There may be even one in the coffin.

The bet started. The ghost non-believers went for free cash believing that they will win the bet. What happened next? Well that one day first guy showed up at night at the cemetery's funeral home. What he did exactly, how he felt, and was he scared? - no body knows, it is just him, and I cannot speculate on this. He jumped into the coffin, covered with lid and waits. There is probably more to the story, he probably showed up during they day and ensured that the doors were open, and the coffin was free of dust, may be or may be not. Note, at those times life was different, so doing things like that was very normal. Yes, what do you do with all this time when shows on TV were only for limited time, there were no computers, no video games, and no work for students.

Very close to 12 am, the second guy showed up with flashlight, hammer and sack of hazel nuts he probably stole from someone's property. At exactly 12 am he sat on the coffin and started to crack nuts. What happened next? Well the guy in the coffin puts his flashlight on and checks the time - and its 12 am. He is not scared - just curious. Now the guy who was cracking the nuts noticed the small illumination coming out from the coffin, and he probably started to think that may be ghosts do really exists. He continued to crack the nuts now more eagerly. Well the guy inside the coffin is now very very curious as he hears harder knocks - he decided to get out. This did not help the other guy, when the lid moved and more light escaped from the coffin, and it is only speculation, the guy probably got into a shock first. Well for sure he collapsed. As the lid continued to open, and the curious guy is walking out, thinking - someone is probably playing a prank on me. He is right, however, to his surprise he found his friend lying dead and realizing what just happened.

[TRUE STORY, SOURCES: MY TOWN]

6 comments:

  1. Hi Anna,

    "they would bring us kids so you could actually listened to the real prayers - gossips and ghost stories, lol." - LOL LOL LOL I hear you!

    Oh my GOD!!! The guy died? For real? Poor kid *nodding*!
    That's what pranks do to some people, that's why I don't like them, cause we naver know its outcome *nodding*!
    This was a great post, Anna!

    This reminded me that I have to prepare some candies for the kids this year, cause every single year there are kids that knock on my door "trick or treat" and I never have candies for them (cause I never remember it's Halloween lol)! Lucky me we are in Portugal and kids' trick is to start screaming at your door lol lol lol *nodding*!
    I'll surprise them this year :).

    Cheers

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  2. Anna,

    LOL no, it happens quite often, actually (to post a comment and it disappears, one has to check if it shows that message on top "your comment has been posted successfully, it might take a moment before showing on the site (or something like that lol)").

    I'll share my granny with you, no problem :).
    My mom used to feed me like that as well, cause kids like to refuse food, so your tale brought me good memories :)!
    It's odd, cause it seems that people don't have the kind of bond we two had/have with our grandmas, right? Grandmothers are so important...

    Thank you for that beautiful compliment *blushing*!
    ---------------------------

    On Dark Ages now:

    It's true organic food is so expensive, which is silly cause, as you said, it is cheaper to grow. Besides taking us back to dark ages they also want to lead us to bankruptcy, and poison us (with all those fertilizers)!

    One of these days we will have to create joint-venture companies with neighbours, buy a small land and grow our own food (for those who live in the city) *nodding*!

    Now, that is scarry: killer, axe killer etc costumes? Man...what happened to angel, cat, princess, clown, skeleton (even) costumes? The world is chaotic, Anna :(...

    I am with you on this one: I also think we can change :)!

    Cheers

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  3. Hi, Max, when I wrote about the prayers, I laughed too, that was funny, but it is true. You could pick up all kind of gossips during those sad social gatherings - I bet the dead person could probably hear them too, lol.

    Yeah, they always said that yes he died of the heart attack. I would too, I don't know why I just really fear ghosts, may be one day I will over come that. I watched this ghost movie the other day, and this girl sees something in the field, and starts walking towards - in the middle of night. Give me a break, well I would never do that, as a matter fact I would run the other way, lol. Well that's me. We all have fears, and about that I will never pretend to be a hero, because I am not, lol.

    Yes pranks like that are not funny, but in the old days, there was too much time on teenagers hands, to actually come up with things like that. I personally grew up with boys in the neighborhood, and they were not afraid to try new things, that actually became tragic, but that stories for another day.

    Halloween is around the corner. I never knew that Portugal has kids collecting candies too. Its big in here, and what else is big, dressing up the houses into scary places and sometimes us.

    Thanks for comments and visit as always. Anna :)

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  4. Anna, great storytelling!!! The poor guy died from fright. What a bad prank.

    I used to live by a cemetary and ran past it at night, holding my breath, with my heart hammering in my chest.

    Hugs, JJ

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  5. Whoops. Cemetery.

    Thanks for letting me know you have begun your stories. :D

    Hugs, JJ

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And now lets hear your blobbing, lol!