Tales from the Cowpasture

A GHOST STORY by Betty Robinson

My family has a vacation home on a peaceful river near Lexington, Virginia. The dwelling there is an old mobile home with a screened porch. What it lacks in luxury is more than offset by the spectacular beauty of the Cowpasture River as it flows in a graceful sweep around the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains. We acquired the place in 1978 when it had to be sold in a family estate settlement.

While I had spent many happy days there with the previous owners, we had never spent a night at the river until after we bought our vacation home. Our first night there was in early March and it was cold. In trying to keep warm the night noises did not bother us too much. Everybody knows that metal roofs and trailers make contracting and expanding noises. It would be better when the weather was warmer.

It wasn't until spring vacation that the whole family went to our new vacation spot for a week. The first night there we kept asking about the noise. My husband even got up a few times during the night to search for its source.

The next morning at breakfast the topic of conversation was the loud banging sounds that had kept us all awake the night before. After breakfast the banging was forgotten as we set about the many tasks of getting our new place set up like we wanted it.

That night it was all very quiet . We enjoyed looking at the stars listening to the rippling of the river, and sharing each others company. At bedtime we speculated on why tonight was different. There were no rnetalic noises. All we could hear were the night insects and the sounds of the river. It had to be the rain last night that created a wide enough temperature range to cause the metal to expand and contract. Satisfied with that explanation we all went to sleep.

Sometime in the night it started. I woke up first. I checked the clock and it was one thirty. The children didn't say anything, but I knew they were awake. I could hear them thrashing about in their beds. Finally, my husband asked me if I had heard the noise. Of course, I had heard it. After awhile he decided that there had to be someone outside beating on the sides of the trailer. He stood up to go out and everything became totally silent. He took a flashlight and went out and walked around to check things out but could find nothing. We settled down and tried to sleep as best we could. It was hard to imagine what could possibly be making so much noise.

My husband called a family meeting the next morning to discuss our new problem. We all brainstormed to find a scientific explanation for the sounds. None was apparent. Finally, Louis announced that he had reached the conclusion that we had ghosts. This struck everyone as a bit comical and unbelievable. His theory was that if you really thought about it, it would be a good place for ghosts. After all it had been a recreation place for as far back as anyone could remember. This very place was the site of an old dance hall. Maybe the spirits were only coming back to play. This place was empty almost all of the time. Could it be that we were the intruders ? The noise always went away when we tried to find it No natural cause would do that. The decision was made that come night and the noises began; we would negotiate our position with the ghosts.

That night we were hoping that no negotiations would be necessary. About an hour after we were all in bed and all of the lights were out, the noise started. Louis had his speech all prepared. I don't remember all that he had to say, but it went something like this. Hello Ghosts! We all know that you are here because we hear you. We welcome you. Having ghosts is a unique experience. You add a whole new dimension to our place. We are the only people we know who have ghosts. You must have many memories of the good times that you had here. We don't want to do anything to run you away, but we have got to come to an understanding. You are ghosts and you probably don't need to rest. We are people and we have to sleep. Nobody can sleep with all of the racket you have been making around here at night. We love ghosts and we want you to stay, however, that noise has got to go! We are the new owners now and we plan to enjoy ourselves while we are here. When we are not here make all of the noise you like and have as much fun as you can. I think we can all live together and enjoy each other. Now, please let us go to sleep.

After that speech it became so quiet that the stillness kept me awake for awhile. Then I dozed off into a sound slumber.

"Knock it off! You don't understand. If you expect to stay that noise has got to go," shouted Louis as he sat upright in bed.

I don't know about the ghosts but that shout in his most authoritarian voice scared me considerably. That was the only time he has ever had to raise his voice to our ghosts. We have never been bothered by them again and we have spent many wonderful days at our place on the river.

About two years ago some friends asked if they could use the place for a long weekend. We were happy to share our place. When they returned they called to ask how we could possibly sleep with all of the noise the trailer made at night. They said it was like being in a tin can with someone standing outside banging on it. They got up two or three times each night but could never find the source of the sounds. We apologized for having forgotten to tell them to inform our ghosts that they had to keep quiet. This incident aroused our curiosity. The next time we saw the family from whom we had purchased the trailer we asked them if they had ever been bothered by the noise. Yes, they knew all about it. They lived within a mile of the place and just used it in the day time because the sounds in the night made sleeping impossible.