A Ghostly Story

There is nothing like a good ghost story. The kind that makes chills run up and down your spine. You won't go in the basement for weeks after. Or walk into a room with the lights off. Or get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. Or get in your car without checking the back seat first. You hide under the covers so the boogie man won't get you. You listen for things that go bump in the night. Now that is a good ghost story!
There were two good stories that I remember hearing as a teenager. You've heard them too! They keep making the rounds with each new generation. Everyone says they are true and it happened to someone they know - or a friend knows or a friend of a friend knows.
In the first story, a woman is on a journey. She stops at a gas station in a small town, goes in to pay for her gas and then takes off again. She is alone in her car on a dark country road. It's raining and dark and the wind is howling. She looks in her rear view mirror and sees she is being followed by a car with a lone man in it. He's flashing his lights at her. He attempts to move alongside her car. She speeds up, he speeds up, she turns off on another road, he turns behind her. She's scared and alone. Finally after many miles she sees an open gas station. She pulls in and runs from the car. The other car pulls in, the man jumps out and grabs her. As he does, she looks in her car and sees a man crouched in the back seat. "I saw him get in your car at that other gas station. I've been trying to get your attention all this time.
The second story is the one about the two teenagers on a date. The guy pulls off the road into a wooded area with the idea of spending some time making out. The car radio is on. A news alert is broadcast: There is an insane killer on the loose. His most identifiable feature is he has a hook instead of a right hand. The girl is nervous and wants to leave. The guy tries to convince her to stay. He locks the car doors and tells her they will be safe. She gets upset and insists on leaving. He gets mad, slams the car into drive and squeals out onto the road. He doesn't speak to her all the way back to her house. He stops the car, gets out and walks around the car to let her out and finds a hook stuck in the door handle.

There was an abandoned wooded property in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, known as Gaylord Manor. All that remained was the foundation of the huge old building. Supposedly the hook in the car door handle happened here. Every teenager in the area knew the story. The place was scary and haunted and, of course, attracted us all like flies to a shoo fly pie.

Four girlfriends and I were out cruising one late autumn night. We'd already made the rounds of all of the drive-in restaurants on Woodward Avenue. Nothing was happening, we were bored. Someone mentioned Gaylord Manor. Scary! We decided we needed to see it for ourselves. We drove down the small country road next to the manor and then pulled in to the grounds. We could see the foundation in the headlights. Everything around it was pitch black. None of us were brave enough to get out of the car. Or even open a car window. Laurie, the driver, left the headlights on and the motor running.

I had just recently heard a good scary story and after getting everyone's excited agreement preceded to tell it. It had all of the details, suspense and drama of a good ghost story. Everyone listened intently, barely breathing, eyes wide in anticipation. Something really BAD was about to happen. It was right there, just a sentence or two away. I could see Jackie grab Kathy's arm. Pat was biting her fingernails. Laurie was staring at me. Wasn't blinking, was barely breathing. I continued with the story: The girl in the story felt around in her purse for her lighter. She pulled it out and lit the flame and she said......(And then I screamed bloody murder) It was perfect - they all grabbed each other and screamed - they were properly terrorized. And then they all realized they had just fallen victim to a punch line. I think they call them punch lines because Laurie and Patty each punched me in the shoulder and then we all started laughing.

Do you have a scary story? Have you told spooky tales in the dark with just a flashlight to share among your friends? Did the headless horseman creep you out? Was there a boogie man in your attic? Were you ever scared to go ......down those .......creaky .......old .......damp ...dark ......

....creaky ......cobwebby .......cellar stairs??????????? You need to share!!!! What really scares you?