Solara Speaks
True Ghost Stories From Middle Tennessee, Self-Defense The Old South Way, and “FEARLESS”
By Solara Key

Fall is my favorite time of the year, and it is especially beautiful when the trees carpet the hills of Tennessee in hues of red, orange, and yellow. I can hardly wait to go to our favorite place and get our mums for the porch, along with a gallon of apple cider. Of course, we have already decorated our house, inside and out, and the excitement of the coming holidays permeate our home. My dad has already started singing Christmas songs!

Knowing that Halloween is just around the corner, I decided that I needed to do something unusual for the World Black Belt readers who have never been to Tennessee. Since I live in a home full of funny stories that my parents have gotten themselves into, it wasn’t hard to figure out where to go to get a good story. Enter, mom....

During mom’s early days, she would stay for the summer on the dairy farm in Chapel Hill, Tennessee with her aunt, uncle, and 7 cousins. After calling her cousin, Ira, to see if he would take us to see the famous “Chapel Hill Light,” off we went to recapture one of her scarier stories.

But first, I need to tell you the story of the “Chapel Hill Light.” Long ago, there was an elderly man who carried a lantern for the train, and his bright light could be seen for miles. During a dark, rainy night, he stumbled, knocked himself unconscious, and lay upon the train tracks. When the train came, it ran over him, decapitating him. His head was never found. After that horrible accident, it is said that his ghost carries a lantern every night, and roams the railroad track in search of his head. I don’t know how many of you have been on an old country road, but there are no street lights, and you cannot even see your hand in front of your face. Nor are there any paved roads. Going out to see the “Light” is an experience unto itself.

Hearing mom talk about going to see this light, made me real sure I wanted to go during the day, especially since we were going with cousin Ira. “Solara, why don’t you stay till dark so you can see the light?” questions Ira. “Sorry, but we have to take pictures for my readers.” I said sheepishly. That is when he began to tell about the “fun” they had taking mom to see the light. Like that was going to make me want to stay until dark!

Mom has always been up for an adventure, and the night he was telling me about, was no exception. After all the cousins loaded themselves into the car, off they went into the night, onto the old gravel road in the middle of nowhere, parked the car, and walked across the field to the train tracks. Personally, I think I would have preferred to remain in the car. Lined up waiting for the light with much anticipation, it finally appeared and began its route down the track. After it meandered down the track about 40 feet, it then jumped the track and began to trek into the field where the curious cousins were standing. This was when one of the cousins reached around behind mom, and tapped her on the shoulder where no one was standing. “It is hard to remember who made it back to the car first, but your mom came close to being there before the rest of us,” laughs Ira. “And besides, she had the most blood curdling scream I have ever heard!” he adds. Sorry Ira, but you haven’t heard mine yet!

People have come from everywhere to see the famous “Chapel Hill Light.” Scientists have investigated it, saying it is either swamp gas or a reflection. That is really funny. A reflection from where? And, swamp gas from what swamp?

Next we are on our way to see “Little Egypt.” Little Egypt was an old southern church that had been burned. Remnants of it were left, and you could go into the church, lay your hand across the pulpit, and a Bible would rise up and float through the air. “Swell, he is going to get me one way or the other,” I thought to myself! “Did you ever try it?” I questioned. “I went in there but I didn’t lay my hand on the pulpit; but I know people that did,” confesses Ira. I was thanking God for every blessing in the world when we pulled up to that place, only to find out that it had been demolished and replaced by a beautiful house! “Oh, no,” says Ira, “It’s been torn down.” “Darn,” I replied.

“That’s o.k., we’ll go see Nathan Bedford Forrest,” Ira says excitedly. “Isn’t that the dude that started the KKK?” I asked, as images of some really angry ghosts we might encounter entered my thought forms! “People think that, but actually he started doing his own police work, like beating up men that had abused their wives, and things like that.” he explains. It is right about now that I am questioning myself for wanting to write about ghosts. After a brief look at Nathan Bedford Forrest’s birthplace, we are on to the “Smokehouse.” “I don’t even want to ask,” I thought.

People in the south will hang hams in their smokehouses to cure...country hams are what they are called. During the Civil War, finding that the Smokehouse was locked good and tight, the Yankees chiseled away at the rocks around the foundation of the Smokehouse. Then, they hooked up mules, pulling the rocks away from the foundation. Afterwards, they entered into the Smokehouse from the bottom, and stole all of the country hams. Boy, what people won’t do for some good ole southern food! Those are grounds for a real hostile environment. Listening to Ira tells stories about Nathan Bedford Forrest and the Smokehouse made me think of my 8th grade Social Studies teacher, Mrs. Barnett. She loves Civil War history, and I wish she could have been there with us to listen to Ira talk about this.

After all the ghost busting, Ira drives us into the field to chase wild turkeys. “How do you know they are wild turkeys from here?” asks mom. “Because, Elaine, there is not a man from Butterball out there collecting them for Thanksgiving!” Ira jokes. I just have an inkling that he still likes to tease mom, trying to keep her in touch with her southern roots! After a hysterical ride chasing wild turkeys, we then turn our attention to all of Ira’s Black Angus. Knowing that we do not eat meat, he says smugly, “Doesn’t that just make you want to stop and get a thick, juicy Angus Burger?” With that, mom sticks her head out the window of the truck and screams, “Run, be free, save yourselves!”

Seeing all of this Civil War history, just made me feel that I had to go see Mrs. Barnett, and tell her of my adventures in the country. “Solara, you need to go to the Stones River Battlefield on Halloween night,” says Mrs. Barnett. “What happens then?” I asked. “Well, you know we had one of the bloodiest battles during the Civil War right here in Murfreesboro. To this day, people will hear the cannons at night, and see the Confederate soldiers’ ghosts roaming through the battlefield and the homes located around the battlefield. Some people say they see the ghosts of the soldiers walking through their homes all the time.” she explains. “On Halloween night, the Battlefield has reenactments of soldiers roaming through the cemetery.” she excitedly tells us. “We’ll have to go,” says mom! We excitedly hurry home to tell dad where we want to go for Halloween. “Ya’ll have fun!” he says.

Self-Defense, The Old South Way

On the long drive home from Chapel Hill, I asked mom if she or any of her cousins ever wanted to get into Martial Arts. “When all of us were young kids, no one ever heard of Martial Arts. My cousins would get up at the crack of dawn to milk, do farm chores during the day, and would have to milk again in the evening, They would not have had the time nor energy for Martial Arts even if they would have heard of it.

Besides, staying on the farm with 7 cousins taught me the art of self-defense the old south way,” she explains. “If one cousin wasn’t grabbing me by the ankles dipping my head in the manure because I wouldn’t say ‘Uncle,’ another one was squirting me with hot, sticky milk from the cow’s udder. I think Ira gave me more lessons than anyone. One day he wanted to play Tarzan and Jane. I was to do just like he said, climb a tree, and grab onto one of the vines that hangs from the trees here. Then I was to swing from one tree onto another. The next thing I knew, I was flying face first into the tree I was suppose to swing to. Another time, he took me to see the brand new baby calf that had just been born. That didn’t last long, as Ira screamed ‘RUN’ and away he went. Mama cow started to charge us, thinking we were harming her baby. The next lesson I had, was how to jump bareback on to ole Queen, (the family’s horse,) from the roof of a chicken coop. When I hit Queen’s back, it seemed like hours before I could catch my breath! Afterwards, I thought I must have to look for my body parts somewhere. Then, he was going to teach me how to mount Queen by jumping up over her rear, just like the cowboys did on television! Imagine my horror when I didn’t clear the rear, but ran face first into it!

But, I could always talk Ira into mischief too. In the north, people kept their pets inside. I decided that is where Queen needed to be kept, so Ira and I walked her up a flight of stairs and into the house. Aunt Mettie was on her way to the barn, when she turned around to see me, Ira, and Queen looking out of the kitchen window at her. We were 5 years old when we did that.

Someone was always coming over for dinner, and Ira and I were always the chosen ones who would get the wonderful task of going to get a chicken for dinner. That entailed chopping off the head. One time he had chopped off the head, but the chicken kept running around. ‘I am getting out of here’ I screamed while he laughed. ‘What do you think the chicken has left to peck you with?’ Ira says between his laughs.”

My brother and I love to hear them tell stories of what they did to my mom back then. Better her than us! As for me, I am glad to be learning self-defense in a dojo with a sensei!

“FEARLESS”

Last weekend, my parents and I went to see “Fearless,” the new Jet Li movie. This movie is AWESOME! Jet Li delivers a Martial Arts performance some of us can only dream of doing. His skill with weapons is just brilliant.

His portrayal of historical Huo Yuan Jia, shows the many emotions he, as a young martial artist, went through; ego being the strongest. After many life lessons, he finally finds inner peace. I will not spoil it for the readers who have yet to see the movie by telling anymore. All I will say is, if you haven’t seen the movie, please do so. Jet Li will keep you on the edge of your seat. I hope I can meet him some day.

In closing, when mom and I got home from ghost busting, she wanted to know if I would go back to see the “Chapel Hill Light” at night. “Um, maybe before we move to California I might.” I urge anyone reading this story PLEASE DO NOT PLAY ON THE RAILROAD TRACKS. Ira has lived in the small town of Chapel Hill most of his life, and took us there knowing when trains come, and all about the area. At no time were we ever standing on the tracks. Want to see a ghost carry a lantern? E-mail me at: solarakey@worldblackbelt.com I can arrange it! Hope you have a BOOtiful Halloween.

This is Solara signing off...write me at solarakey@worldblackbelt.com

To read past articles by solara key, click here

This has been a Youth E-Zine Article.