She put on her coat, scarf, and boots and lit the lantern Aunt Lou had filled for her. As soon as she stepped outside and started across the yard to the path in the woods, she knew she had more to worry about than the shadows tonight. Heavy snow had started to fall, and it was already sticking to the ground.
She ducked her head and crossed through the swirling snow to the path that led her into the woods. She hurried as fast as she could, but walking into the wind was hard. She knew the path would be completely covered on her return trip, so she tried to memorize other things by the path to mark her way home.
It took longer than usual, but she finally arrived at the store. Several others were there picking up their presents. The Harmons offered her some hot chocolate, but she didn't stay to visit. She took the huge bag of gifts and headed back out into the snow.
The voices from the store faded behind her as she moved deeper into the woods. Everything became silent as the snow blanketed the trees and ground, turning them into unfamiliar sleeping things. With the path snow-covered, Barbara Jane had trouble finding her way. She held up her lantern, but all it showed was snow in every direction. Everything was still and white like a forest morgue. She figured she must be nearing the drop-off above the stream, but nothing she saw confirmed that. She stopped and stood, frightened, trying to get her bearings.
“Nobody would find me if I fell into that stream tonight,” she said aloud. “I would die for sure.”
Her eyes filled with tears, but she realized she would freeze if she stayed still. She forced herself to move on, carefully taking one step at a time. Suddenly her foot hit something, and she slid to the right. She gasped as her body bumped into something that stopped her. She thought it must be the big rock near the drop, but it was snow-covered like everything else.
Then in the lantern light, a shadow flickered for an instant. She could feel something on the path in front of her, but she couldn't see it in the darkness. A calmness began to take over her whole being. She heard nothing, but she knew she should follow whatever was in front of her. She clutched the gifts and the lantern and stumbled along. She was lost, yet she felt something was leading her in the right direction. She walked and walked, and then she felt she was alone again. Whatever had led her was gone.
She looked around and saw that it was all right. She was at the edge of the woods, and she could see the light from the house in the window. She hurried with renewed energy and quickly reached the door.
Aunt Lou heard her footsteps and flung the door open.
“Oh, thank goodness you're safe!” she said, taking the lantern and gifts and helping Barbara Jane inside. “I didn't realize it was snowing like that when I sent you out. Did you have trouble finding the way?”
“Yes, it was awful,” said Barbara Jane. “But you will never believe what happened.”
As they stuffed stockings and wrapped the gifts and put them under the tree, Barbara Jane related the events of the evening to her uncle and aunt.
“A shadow led me home,” said Barbara Jane. “I felt it keeping me safe.”
“It was a miracle!” said Aunt Lou. “Did you know our boy died in the woods last year? He always went out on Christmas Eve to get the presents. It was one of his favorite things to do. Last year, he slipped over the drop and was killed in the fall. I've always heard that on Christmas Eve, the dead can leave their graves and walk the earth. Tonight, I think he came back to walk with you.”
The Ghost Rider
Lillian Dean Simpson, Roberta's mother, told this story. It happened to her.
In the early 1900s, the flu swept through Kentucky. It showed no mercy and often left several members of the same family dead at the same time. In those days the flu was a new enemy, and nobody knew how to fight it. To make matters worse, there was a shortage of doctors. Each doctor had to cover a large territory because there were no hospitals to contain the infected patients in one place. Even when the doctor came, he had no medicine to wipe out this deadly disease.
In a society where neighbors were used to helping one another in time of sickness, the flu put an end to that custom. In some homes, every family member was sick and unable to help each other, much less go to help a neighbor. The people not infected were afraid to expose themselves for fear of getting sick themselves. This wasn't a disease that would just make them uncomfortable; this was a disease that would take their lives.
One man, Mr. Otis, was an exception. He rode his horse every day to every house in the neighborhood, bringing much-needed supplies and medicine to sick families. He also brought news of the community that everyone wanted to hear. Otis had never been the best-liked man in the area, but now he was a godsend. His main fault was his love for a drink of whiskey, and some of the more religious citizens in the community didn't approve of drinking. Otis thought a drink of whiskey would keep the flu away, so he would always take a drink of whiskey as he rode up to each house.