by Kathleen "Katie" O'Donnell
of Punkin' Doodle Boo Folk Art

In many a quiet town's history, there lurks a tale of strangeness or legend that is passed down from one generation to another. Frightening tales of happenings that leave lasting impressions on us as children, these stories prompt us to sleep with the hall light on, or the closet door shut tight. Spooky tales that make us walk briskly past a dilapidated landmark or old cemetery. Later, when we recall those stories as adults, we find we still get goose bumps on our flesh. Recalling those tales as perfectly rational grownups, we still find ourselves questioning our belief in supernatural occurrences, witchcraft, and mythological beings.

January 2008

Last month, we journeyed to a historic cemetery, in a sleepy Colorado town, to tell you the story of The Lafayette Vampire, Mr. Glava. This month we bring you two spine tingling tales told by our own Halloween Artists; Josie Ditzler and Heather Millot.

A Shallow Grave in the Colorado Desert:
Adapted from a true tale written by Josie of skeletoninmycloset- (you can see Josie’s inspired work here on HalloweenArtists.com)

My husband and I vacationed in Colorado last May and we traveled throughout the state. As a side trip, we journeyed to Alamosa to see the Great National Sand Dunes. On a clear spring morning, Brad and I decided to venture out to Alamosa National wildlife Refuge. The hotel desk clerk gave us a tip to take an off road for prime wildlife viewing, so we set out to find Bluff Road.

As we traveled up the dirt road, we saw a few bull snakes and a golden eagle taking flight from one of the few scarce trees in the area, but not much else. At the top of the bluff, we did find a rancher’s old graveyard. We pulled up, and Brad and I got out so that we could look around. I took a few pictures of the gravestones. At that point we had been out for most of the day, so we decided to turn around and head back.

On the way back to town, about 5 miles up the road, and just past a cattle guard, I saw a pile of stones. The stones were piled, purposefully, beside an old fence post. The pile of rock looked very out of place so we stopped. I told my husband that I wanted to get out and investigate. I walked over and moved a few of the stones and saw some bones. Innocently, I believed that some rancher’s dog had died and a crude grave was fashioned to bury it. I decided to investigate further when I pulled out a very long bone. I yelled to my husband, who still was in the car, that it must have been a very large dog. Gently I turned over more stones, oh my goodness, what was this? Suddenly, I yelped in shock and surprise! I looked down at the turned pile and I spied what was undeniably the upper palate of a human skull, when I looked again I spied the lower jaw. I yelled for my husband, but he refused to come and look. Excitedly, I told Brad that we should report it, but he shook his head and said, “no way”. Reluctantly, I snapped a few pictures for proof, crossed myself, and covered the human remains with the pile of stones. As I walked back to the car, I shuddered and considered the possibility of some sort of curse or hex, and then I quickly shook it off.

When we returned to Manitou Springs we told two different townspeople. A transplant, who said we should report what we had seen; and another, who was a native, told us that those shallow graves were all over the desert. He told us that we shouldn’t worry about it. After careful consideration, we decided to listen to him, and, so far, nothing bad has happened to us that would confirm the presence of a curse...not that I'm superstitious mind you...I just think that if I were...that would be the one to do me in!

A Late Night Visit to Aux Sable:
Adapted from a true tale written by Heather M. of witch_hollow_primitives - (you can see Heather’s whimsical creations here on HalloweenArtists.com).

People think you’re a little crazy for wanting to visit a cemetery, but I think it's one of the most peaceful places in the world. In Grundy, Illinois, there is an old cemetery called Aux Sable. Aux Sable is rich, both in history and in legend. Throughout the town and all over the web, stories of paranormal activity abound. Stories include the locking of car doors, fogging up of windows, and entrances being blocked while visitors are attempting to leave. Fires have started mysteriously and an apparition of a little girl stands innocently watching those who pass through the gates. Because the gate has often been mysteriously blocked or locked “accidentally”, a bar has been added to the gate to keep it from being locked.

As a matter of interest, I decided to take a jaunt out to Aux Sable...at night. I have been to Aux Sable many times during the daylight hours, but because of normal concerns, I picked two of my childhood friends to go with me; Chris and Chad. We drove up the entry road and reached the entrance. The time was eleven thirty. We wanted to be inside at midnight. It was a crisp autumn evening and the three of us were ready to embark on an adventure. The rusty gate, ivy entwined, was wide open and so we pulled in. Just for piece of mind, I turned around and cast a glance back to make sure the gate stayed open. I asked Chris to kill the lights. I didn't feel like being arrested for trespassing. The cemetery was very quiet. I have to admit, I was a little unnerved by the darkness and the moonlight being cast over the looming trees. I noticed a mausoleum door was ajar. “Stupid kids”, I muttered. We heard a hoot owl, well that was appropriate, I thought. The cemetery was very still. The occasional animal would move around in the wood, stepping on twigs and it would make us jump.

Feeling very unnerved at this point, we decided to head back to the car. We all felt uneasy, as if we were being watched. As we headed back, we found that we were disappointed because we hadn't had any encounters. Suddenly, Chris pointed and questioned, "What is that?" I was scared, but I made myself look. There, along the tree line, there was a little cluster of what looked initially like fireflies. It reminded me of the bumblebee fireworks that you can buy on the 4th of July, only these were silent. I have been told that paranormal investigators refer to them as orbs. Having never seen an orb, I couldn’t be certain. So perhaps, I reasoned, these could be actual fireflies, but I hadn’t ever seen them travel in little clustered balls.

What did we actually see? To this day, none of us can say for sure. Clearly, it was time to leave. The three of us rushed to the car. The car would not turn over the first time, or the second; nervous energy turned to panic. Finally, the car started, and we headed toward the gate. The gate was open and, thankfully, there was no apparition standing there. Again, I turned to look as we drove out, just to be sure. We were met at the end of the lane by bright headlights. A patrol car pulled us over and the officer asked us what we were doing. Of course, we lied and said we got lost and that we were turning around. The officer told us to stay put, he got back in the patrol car, and he drove into the cemetery. Nervously, we sat in the car and hoped that we would simply walk away with just a trespassing ticket. A short time later, the patrol car sped out of the cemetery and the officer drove right past us. He never stopped, he never slowed. I'd like to think he got called to an emergency... or did he?
 

HalloweenArtists.com is a group of talented, artistic individuals who love "Spooky Stories and Frightful Folklore" and all things associated with All Hallows Eve. Each month I will feature a spooky tale that is based on truth and/or regional folklore. I welcome you to send in your own "Spooky Stories and Frightful Folklore" or make suggestions for an upcoming column. Most of all, we encourage you to bookmark our site, so that you may retell these stories to you and yours.

Till next time,
Katie

About the Author:
Kathleen "Katie" O'Donnell is a Colorado artist, educator and mother of two children whose nicknames inspired the title of her business. Her work has been featured in online artisan magazines, and shops and galleries across the country. Visit Katie here on HalloweenArtists.com or on her website at PunkinDoodleBooFolkArt.com.