Before electric lights

Before electric lights came to rural Georgia, people believed strongly in ghost. Ghosts began to stir when the dying sun slowly went down in muted streaks of amber and burnt orange, and the chickens reluctantly went to roost when the fireflies and mosquitoes filled the warm air.

The white ghost-like fields of unpicked cotton and tall corn stalks were getting ready for relief from the summer heat, and from deep in the darkening wood, a lone whippoorwill signaled the start of a long summer night.

Our family moved from the suppertime kitchen to the front porch, pushing the old coon dog aside. Our stomachs were satisfied with our fill of fried chicken, butterbeans and sliced tomatoes. Mama was a good cook, and we were always hungry.

The children huddled around daddy’s giant rocking chair as he deliberately told frightening ghost stories that had been passed down generations before us. Our favorite was a bout a beautiful young lady and her jealous older husband who lived in a sprawling two-story house on the Overstreet Place. The young wife was never seen during the daylight hours but could be heard singing “Somewhere over the rainbow” or “Amazing Grace” after midnight. Every note was true, clear and pleasing to the ear, and a blessing from the soul.

The townsfolk said the husband was extremely jealous of her and didn’t want anyone to admire her face or exceptional beauty. She would be akin to today’s trophy wife. Then one quiet, starless night, her voice went silent. She had fallen to her death from the very top of the stairs. The townsfolks and neighbors said the old man had pushed her, but no one knew for sure. The truth would never be known because there were no witnesses.

In recent years, many people have heard her soft, sweet voice coming from her bedroom at the top of the stairs. She doesn’t sing familiar songs like “Amazing Grace” or “Somewhere over the rainbow” anymore. Her new songs had never been heard before because it’s all about compassion, love and freedom, which she never had before with her jealous husband.