Campfire or Bonfire stories

[MauEvig]

Let's gather 'round the campfire and sing the campfire song! The C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E S-O-N-G song!

OK silliness and Spongebob references aside, there's one summer tradition (and arguably this could be for spring or fall as well if the weather permits) that I think we could all appreciate, and that's gathering around the bonfire, (or campfire if you're camping...is there even a difference? Who knows.) and telling stories.

And usually those stories are typically scary stories.

Anyone got any good ones to tell? Some good ghost stories, or a monster lurking in the woods type tales?

Does anyone do this specifically?

And of course, don't forget to roast some marshmellows and make smores...or roast weinies.

[Murfreesboro]

My husband has one he tells about Col Garashay (spelled that phonetically, have no idea how it's really spelled), the Headless Horseman of Stones River (remember I told you there was a big Civil War Battlefield here, and my husband worked there as a teen). I'll have to ask him to refresh my memory before I post it. It's a good one. Our older son, when he was in college, lived for a while in a foreign language dorm (each floor had to use their language exclusively, and at meals, too). He was on the German floor, but they had floors for Spanish, French, etc. Foreign students at the school also lived in this dorm as native speakers. Anyway, they held a big Halloween party, since the foreigners were curious about it. I guess everybody spoke English for the party. And my son told the Headless Horseman of Stones River, his dad's Col Garashay story. It was a big hit, since it was not only Halloweenish, but local (he went to Vandy in Nashville).

Garesche, that's how the name is spelled. I just looked it up.

[NeverMore]

We used to do this on November 5th! Bonfire Night, aka Guy Fawkes Night. An English thing. Me and my friends would gather around a fire, watch the movie "V for Vendetta" projected onto the side of my house. We'd tell ghost stories as we drank the last of my pumpkin beers. To be fair, most of my stories were cribbed from the series "Are You Afraid of the Dark?", but no one caught on.

Unfortunately, this tradition fell by the wayside as we got older and most started families. I am vindicated by the fact that some of my friends have passed this observance on to their kids. I sometimes join in on their gatherings.I still of miss doing it here though.

[TheHeadlessHorseman]

I haven't been around a campfire since I was in my teens, I really miss it. We would tell scary stories, the urban legends that I'm sure most of you have heard before, like...

The killer with the hook hand and the young couple in the car.

The call coming from inside the house.

The escaped mental patient hiding in the back seat.

The phantom hitchhiker.

The ghost train, and various other stories that I can't think of right now. I'm sure that some of the stories have actual titles but they were told by different people and the stories changed with each new person telling them.

By the way, since the subject of S'mores probably won't come up again, I just wanted to tell you about the different kinds of S'mores that my wife makes.

While the traditional Hershey's chocolate bar is always a classic, and it's essential to the S'mores recipe, my wife uses other flavors of Hershey bars as well, such as their Cookies n Creme, Cotton Candy, and Salted Caramel bars. She also uses other chocolates as well, but the absolute favorite that everyone loves is Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, her customers and the kids go crazy for them.

[Murfreesboro]

I've eaten only the classic Smores, but I have seen suggestions for other combos, including Reeses cups. I'm sure it's all good.

Btw, I asked my husband about his story last night, and he said he has it written up on his computer, so I'm waiting for him to get me his copy. I mean, it's not copyrighted. Local newspapers have written it up. But my husband has a way of telling it that enthralls his students.

I used to love telling the story of The Girl in the Lavender Dress. She was a beautiful but poor girl who selected a lavender party dress from a barrel of charity donations. After that she wore it most of the time. One autumn evening, a young man from a local college was driving along the road, and he saw this lovely girl in a lavender dress standing by the side of the road, hoping for a ride.

Of course he slowed to offer her a ride, and they chatted. She told him her name was Lavender, and she wanted a ride to a dance in the next town. He obliged, and they danced together all evening. She was a beautiful dancer and as light as a feather on her feet. By the time the evening was over, the young man was quite smitten with her.

After the dance, he drove her home, and importuned her for a second date, but she was non-committal. When he saw her shabby home, scarcely more than a shack in the woods, he believed she was ashamed of her upbringing, so he didn't push. But he couldn't forget her.

About a month later, he was driving in the area again, and he impulsively decided to find the girl's backwoods home. It took a little time, but he located it and knocked on the door. An elderly woman answered. When he asked for Lavender, she looked at him suspiciously. As he told his story of their meeting and their date at the dance, she became incredulous. She said she'd had a daughter, twenty years ago, who looked like the girl he described, and who liked to call herself Lavender. Her real name was Susan. But she had been killed in a traffic accident as she walked along the side of the road.

Now it was the young man's turn to be incredulous. He had seen, spoken and danced with this girl only last month. So the elderly woman walked him to the nearby family graveyard. She showed him Susan's grave, dated from twenty years ago. And there, on the modest gravestone, neatly folded, was the lavender dress.

[MauEvig]

I think I've tried the s'mores with the peanut butter cups before and they're good that way. I don't see why people couldn't come up with different versions, like with cookies and cream and such. During 4th of July they usually have the red white and blue ones in the store, so I feel like that would be a good combination for the 4th.

I'd like to hear your stories in more detail, Headless. They all sound like interesting tales.

Murf, that story was definitely thrilling and spooky. It's not the kind that gives you a jump scare, but one that makes you ponder. My guess is that the girl the man dated in the lavender dress was a ghost who may have wanted some semblance of happiness before she had to move onto the hereafter. If you find out a bit more about that other story, feel free to share.

Bonfire night? I'm from the United States but I've heard of it. I didn't know you were from the UK, Nevermore. I've met people from the UK and they're all nice folks. I like learning about traditions in other countries, but the US definitely has roots in English customs. Isn't Guy Fawkes night about stopping a plot against the crown?

Bonfires don't necessarily have to be for summer, but I feel like summer's the most convenient time to have them since people go camping during these months. Of course in the Southern US people go camping fall, spring and summer as well. In New York it's a might too cold to go camping in the spring, but fall can vary. People still go hunting in November, but snow is starting to fall by then. Doesn't stop deer season though.

[Murfreesboro]

Thanks, Mau. I was reminded of that story when HH mentioned the phantom hitchhiker trope. I learned it from a book my mother bought back in the '60s, a Readers' Digest Treasury of American Folklore. It had a whole section on ghost stories, and that one was my favorite. I remember telling it at a Halloween bonfire when I was 12 or 13. I also used to tell it to my English classes on Halloween.

[NeverMore]

Southern Tier Brewery in New York makes a s'mores beer. My sister swears by it but I find it a bit too sweet. Southern Tier is famous for their Pumking and Warlock beers. Here's my cat trying to steal my stash! After licking his butt! I told him that's not how you clear your palette.

[TheHeadlessHorseman]

It's funny, while I was reading Murf's story, I was thinking of how much it reminded me of the phantom hitchhiker story, as in both stories you find out that the character was a ghost.

MauEvig - I'm surprised that you haven't heard of some of those stories that I mentioned, as they were the traditional scary stories that have been told at summer camps for years. I'm being lazy right now, so I just copied a few of the stories from websites and posted them below for you to read. They are slightly different than when I was younger, but as I said before, the stories change with each new person telling them. Also, I couldn't find the ghost train story anywhere online, so I'll have to type it out from memory when I get some time to later.

[TheHeadlessHorseman]

The Hook

One summer night, a teenage boy was going out on a date with his new girlfriend. He picked her up at her house and they drove out to the edge of town. They parked the car in a secluded spot that was a well known Lovers Lane.

As they gazed out at the lights of the town, the boy put his arm around the girl and switched on the car radio so they could listen to some romantic music. He leaned over and the young couple began kissing and cuddling. Just as they were getting into the mood, the music suddenly stopped and a news reader's voice came on the radio.

This is an emergency announcement. Earlier tonight, a crazed murderer escaped from the state mental asylum. We are warning citizens to be on their guard since the patient is considered armed and dangerous. The insane killer is nicknamed The Hook because, after he lost his right hand in an accident, it was replaced with a steel hook. Everyone in the area should be on the lookout for a man fitting this description. If you notice anything suspicious, you should report it immediately.

The girl became frightened and asked to be taken home. She knew that the state insane asylum was not far from the Lovers Lane. She was also worried that the remote area where they were parked was the perfect spot for a deranged madman to lurk.

The boy was feeling brave and assured his girlfriend that they were perfectly safe. He locked the car doors, then tried to kiss her again. The girl became frantic and pushed him away, insisting that they leave immediately.

In a huff, the boy slammed the car into gear and he pulled out of the parking space.

On the way back to town they both calmed down, but the girl still held on tightly to her boyfriend.
When they pulled up outside the girl's house, the boy got out of the car and walked around to open the door for his girlfriend.

For a long time he just stood there, staring at the door. At first the girl couldn't figure out what was wrong, then she realized that her door was still locked. She smiled and unlocked it.

Still, the boy just stood there.

The girl was confused and rolled down her window. Then she saw that the boy was staring down at the door handle. Slowly, she looked down herself and began to scream uncontrollably.

There, hanging from the door handle, was a bloody, stainless-steel hook.

[TheHeadlessHorseman]

The Babysitter

A teenage girl decides to take a babysitting job from the next town over. The parents are attending a friend's party and leave their 2 young children with the teenager.

The girl plays with the children, gives them their dinner and then puts them to bed. Pleased to get such well mannered children she returns downstairs and settles down to watch a film for the night. About an hour into her film a shrill ring pierces the silence. Aware that the children are sleeping she answers the phone quickly in order to not wake them. She assumes that it's the parents calling to check on their children, however, instead of the voice she is expecting she is met with heavy breathing. Assuming that it's the wrong number, she hangs up. As she begins to walk away the phone rings again.

"What?" she asks, irritated. "I'm close" a hoarse voice whispered to her. She demands to know who it is but the caller hangs up.

She returns to her film in the next room, trying to forget the weird call. About 15 minutes later, the phone rings again. The teenager would rather not answer it again, but she really didn't want the children to wake, so she answered it again. "I'm closer, and I'm about to get you", the voice laughed. Getting scared, the teenager hangs up and immediately calls the police.

The police are unsympathetic and tell her it's probably a prank but they will monitor the line if it will ease her mind. Instead of going back to her film, she stays by the phone, waiting for another call. She doesn't have to wait for long and sure enough, it's the mystery caller again. This time he laughs hysterically and tells her it won't be long. She throws the phone back into the receiver and her heart pounds.

Almost immediately the phone rings again and she is met with the voice of a panicked man "The calls are coming from inside the house, GET OUT NOW". "I'll get the children and go" she says, panicking. "NO, GET OUT OF THE HOUSE NOW!" he demands.

Without hanging up, she runs to the front garden and is met with 2 police cars, the police men run straight into the house and upstairs. They return empty handed and with a sickly look on their faces. "The children are dead, no sign of the killer" they state, solemnly. Another officer exits the house with an evidence bag, which contains a bloody knife. To this day, the murders remain unsolved.

[TheHeadlessHorseman]

Killer in the Backseat

One night a woman went out for drinks with her friends. She left the bar fairly late at night, got in her car and onto the deserted highway. After a few miles, she noticed she was low on gas and pulled into a gas station.

She was frightened by the odd behavior of the attendant, who kept trying to get her to leave the car and join him in the office. She refused and drove off as fast as she could.

As she drove, she noticed a lone pair of headlights in her rear view mirror, approaching fast. As the car pulled up behind her, dangerously close to her tailgate and the brights flashed.

Now she was getting nervous. The car behind her kept flashing the lights and the driver seemed to be shouting and making signs with his hands.

Through every stoplight and turn, it followed her until she reached home and pulled into her driveway. Terrified, she made a mad dash to her house. As she ran from the car, so did the driver of the car behind her and he screamed at her to lock the door and call the police.

When the police arrived the horrible truth was finally revealed to the woman. The man in the car had been trying to save her. As he pulled up behind her and his headlights illuminated her car, he saw the silhouette of a man with an axe rising up from the back seat behind her, so he flashed his brights to warn her.

The police arrested the crazed killer in the backseat who turned out to be an escaped mental patient. It was an extremely scary night that the woman wouldn't soon forget.

[Murfreesboro]

Those are classic campfire stories, for sure.

My husband got me a copy of his story about Col Garesche, the Headless Horseman of Stones River. It's kinda long, so bear with me. I will probably have to make several posts.

This story actually happened at Murfreesboro, TN, on Dec 31, 1862. The site is 5-10 munutes' drive from my house.

Lt. Col. Julius Garesche was a native of Havana, Cuba, and a devout Roman Catholic. At the time of the Battle of Stones River, he was serving as Chief of Staff to Major Gen William S. Rosecrans, the commanding general of the Union Army of the Cumberland. On the night of Dec 30, 1862, he had a very strong presentiment that he would not survive the battle that was certainly coming the next day. His conviction of his impending death was so strong that he presented his best friend in the Army, Col William B. Hazen, with a small package that very night containing his wedding ring, his Bible, and his finest rosary--with the instruction that, should he not survive the next day's combat, Col Hazen would make certain that the package be delivered to his wife. The next morning, Lt Col Garesche was seen by several officers off by himself in a small clearing, reciting to himself the last Rites of the Church.

[Murfreesboro]

Both commanders devised the same plan of battle. They would strike their enemy's left flank, fling it back, and tear the enemy loose from their base of supplies. The Confederates of the Army of Tennessee under Gen Braxton Bragg struck first-- troops from John McCown's and Patrick Cleburne's divisions struck Alexander McCook's Union corps at approximately 4:45 am on Dec 31, 1862, some fifteen minutes before the Union Army planned its attack to begin on the Confederate right. Gen Rosecrans learned that his right wing had already lost much ground (ultimately some 2 and 1/2 miles of it), cancelled the attack on Murfreesboro, and galloped south toward the center of his line to organize a hasty defensive position along the Nashville Pike and the Nashville & Chattanooga railroad line.

[Murfreesboro]

Now, you must understand that, at the time of the American Civil War, radio telecommunications for the battlefield had not yet been invented, much less perfected. Commanding generals had large staffs of subordinate officers whose mission was to deliver and receive, on horseback, messages to and from subordinate commands for the commanding general. Therefore, when a general rode forth on a battlefield, there were usually 50 or so mounted officers riding alongside him. So it was that Lt Col Garesche accompanied Maj Gen Rosecrans on the cold, sunny morning of that fateful day--50 to 60 officers riding across the field in the location of what is now the Visitors' Center at Stones River National Battlefield, the gold braid of their epaulets glinting, their brass buttons and silver sword scabbards blinking in the sun's harsh glare.

Some 800 yards away, a Confederate military battery sat atop Wayne's Hill, where currently stands the Stones River Country Club in Murfreesboro. The battery commander saw the glittering parade through his binoculars, and immediately surmised that a very high-ranking officer was on the field. He ordered his best gunner to see if he could get the range with his six-pounder field howitzer.

By this time the war had been raging for over a year and a half, and both armies had seen several.battles. The gunners were very good at their trade. When a Civil War cannoneer attempted to verify the range of a target, he would fire an explosive shell (a hollow metal ball filled with a high explosive and equipped with a time fuse ignited by the flash of the piece), hoping to achieve a burst beyond the target; then fire another which he would hope to burst in front of his target ( bracketing). From the results, he would know where to cut his fuse on spherical case rounds (another fused hollow metal ball, but this time filled with 72 cast lead musket balls and a very small bursting charge) so as to be in correct range to kill the enemy. This gunner was the best in his battery: he estimated the range, set the elevation, and ordered his loaded howitzer to be fired at the galloping mass of officers.