Kentucky Hauntings(32)

“The storm hit fast,” said Mary's mother, sitting up now, too. “Maybe he thought he could beat it and got caught out in it. I think you should go see if something is wrong.”

“I'm sure nothing is wrong,” Mr. Sinclair insisted. “Andy will be home as soon as the storm is over. Now let's get some sleep!”

“Mary's been right before,” Mrs. Sinclair pointed out. “What if something is wrong and you ignore it?”

“I tell you, he's all right!” Mr. Sinclair bellowed, thinking how miserable he would be if he went out in that storm. “He'll be home any time now.”

As if to confirm what he said, the sound of hoofbeats approached the house. Mary ran to the window and looked out as the lightning lit up the sky and the yard. She could see clearly, but it was not the sight she wanted to see. Andy's horse ran by the house and headed for the barn, but there was no rider.

“It's Andy's horse, but Andy's not on him!” cried Mary.

This was information that Mr. Sinclair couldn't ignore. He knew something had happened to Andy, and he couldn't waste any time now. He had to go look for him. Mary ran back to the kitchen to look out the back window. Mr. Sinclair got out of bed and dressed quickly for the storm. He hurried to the barn and turned Andy's horse into his stall. He saddled his own horse and rode into the stormy night.

Mary and her mom waited in the kitchen as the storm finally blew itself out. Finally, dawn broke and Mrs. Sinclair made breakfast. They ate in silence as they waited still. At last, a familiar sound came to their ears. A horse was coming! Mary and her mom ran to the door and opened it as Mr. Sinclair came riding up alone. He pulled up the horse, but stayed mounted.

“Did you find him?” asked Mary.

“Is he all right?” Mrs. Sinclair wanted to know before her husband had a chance to speak. He put up his hand to silence them.

“Yes, I found him,” he said. “He'll be fine. He's resting over at the doc's house right now. He rode into a limb in the storm. It knocked him off his horse, and he hit his head on a rock when he fell. He was knocked out and bleeding when I found him. The creek had flooded from all the rain, and the water had almost reached him when I got there.”

“He could have died!” said Mary.

“Thank God you found him,” said Mrs. Sinclair.

“Yeah,” said Mr. Sinclair, “the doc said he might not have made it if I hadn't come along when I did.”

“Put your horse up while I fix you some breakfast,” said Mrs. Sinclair. “You must be starved.”

Mr. Sinclair took care of his horse and returned to the house just as his wife put biscuits, eggs, bacon, and hot coffee on the table. While he ate, he told his wife and daughter more details.

“You were right about his thinking he could beat the storm,” he told them. “I never would have thought that he'd be out in a storm like that, but he said it came up faster than he thought it would. Mary, he would have died if it hadn't been for you. I would never have gone to look for him. His girlfriend's folks would not have gone to look either because they would have thought he beat the storm and got home safely.”

“I had some help from Aunt Martha's ghost and Andy's horse,” said Mary, smiling.

“I'll believe you from now on,” her father told her.

Mr. Sinclair told that story many times at the old country store where people gathered to shop and visit. Some believed him and some didn't. He really didn't care. He didn't understand it himself. He just knew his little chime child had a special gift.





The Helpful Business Ghost


The owners of the restaurant in this story told this tale to us. They were very sincere, and we didn't doubt them for a second.

Carla and Christy had been friends for several years when they got the idea to open a restaurant together. They didn't have a lot of business experience, but they were both good cooks and good with people. They found a small building in downtown Louisville and went into business, serving lunch only. Everything went well, but it wasn't long until the two owners began to feel that they had a silent, invisible business partner.

The previous owner, a man who had worked well past retirement before he died, had operated a bar at this location. Sometimes the ladies heard a tinkling of glasses in the area where that bar had been, and they felt as though someone was with them as they closed for the day. Sometimes knives that belonged in one area would show up mysteriously in another part of the kitchen. At other times, food would appear in the refrigerator when they were certain they had not put it there themselves. They sometimes joked about whether or not the previous owner approved of two women owning a business where his used to be.