We had two great storytellers in our family, and they both lived in Logansport, Louisiana. One was my Uncle Reese who owned a popular hamburger joint where locals would gather to enjoy his two-for-a-quarter hamburgers and listen while he told story after story. During summer breaks, I’d go visit Granny. One of my favorite things was to go sit at his counter on hot, humid days, drink Coca Cola, and listen to Uncle Reese’s spellbinding stories.

Our other gifted storyteller was Aunt Willie - Granny’s older sister and my great Aunt.  Aunt Willie was quite a successful businesswoman for her day. She had taken over the local newspaper office in Logansport, when their elder sister, Aunt Berta, was killed by a train on a foggy morning - right there at the same crossing where I’d run down to watch the trains go by. Sadly, she didn’t see the train coming. At that time, there were no flashing lights or safety bar to come down and block cars from crossing the tracks.      

Aunt Willie came by Granny’s often to see me. She taught me many things, such as how to play Solitaire like a champ, spelling drills, and she also loved to share captivating stories I’ll never forget. I’ll never forget one cool, rainy evening when she stopped by for a visit. I was about eight years old. We gathered around the living room fireplace with hot chocolate, and she immediately began to cast her spell with a bone-chilling ghost story. She told me about Aunt Sally, my great-great Aunt who had been bed-ridden with polio since she was a child. Aunt Willie said there were seven children in the family, and their beds were all lined up in one room, located just off my great-great grandparents’ bedroom.  She described one night when Aunt Sally awakened to a loud squeaking of the front gate as it was opened, followed by the shrill cackling of geese in the front yard. She saw a ghost enter the children’s bedroom, go stand at the end of each bed, peering intently at the sleeping child, and then entered the bedroom where Aunt Sally resided.  Both my great-great grandparents were sound asleep, but Aunt Sally was wide-awake and aware of everything this ghost was doing. She said the ghost first stood at the end of the bed where my grandparents soundly slept, then came over to her bed and stared at her. 

She was frightened speechless! Aunt Willie then reminded me that Aunt Sally, due to her disability, was unable to even sit up in bed alone. She said the ghost then moved around her bed, went over to a picture on the wall, removed it from the wall, and proceeded to open the back of the picture. The ghost took a small photo stored in the back of the frame, hung the picture back on the wall, made an X in the dust on the glass from one corner to the other, then left the room the same way she’d centered. Once again, Aunt Sally heard the cackle of the geese in the front yard, the loud squeak of the gate as it opened and closed, and it was gone. 

She said Aunt Sally didn’t sleep the remainder of the night. She could hardly wait to relay what happened to my great, great grandparents when they awakened. They listened intently and fearfully, then noted the X carefully marked in the dust, from corner to corner, on the glass of the frame. They quickly checked on their seven children to ensure they were all OK, and then, began questioning how the X could possibly have appeared on the glass when Aunt Sally was incapable of getting up?      

Let me tell you, even though I initially began listening to Aunt Willie tell this fireside story from the other side of the room; at this point, I was stuck right up beside her on the sofa, nestled firmly against her for protection from this spooky ghost! To this day I remember every detail of this story - which upon reflection, is the magic of a master storyteller. Aunt Willie intentionally brought the ghost to life for me!