The mountains of western North Carolina can be unforgiving, but more importantly, they can also be a mysterious, ghostly place, where many things may appear out of nowhere, like past residents, who still keep watch over the land. It’s said that many years ago, two men decided to go fishing in Transylvania County, when the younger man decided to fish down the creek from his older friend. As the man crossed a footbridge, he saw two large mudholes, a laurel thicket, and an old fence. Out of nowhere, a woman appeared from the forest, whom he mistook for another friend’s wife.
The man was somewhat embarrassed, since he hadn’t asked permission to fish the grounds on the family’s property. She wore a scarf that obscured her face, and never spoke a word to the man. He reached for her hand as he stepped across the fence to offer her assistance over the large, muddy holes. The woman never moved from her spot. As he turned away, stepping back onto the road, speaking to let the woman know that he and his friend would soon leave the premises. When he turned back around, the ghostly woman was gone, as she disappeared into thin air, leaving no footsteps in the muddy soil. The only footprints he found were his own.
Written By John G. Clark Jr.
