Hey everybody! Happy Halloween!
I hope you're enjoying this beautiful time of year. This is actually my favorite season—and here's a little secret story about me: I LOVE ghost stories. And I especially love ghost stories that involve plants. So, I thought I would share one of my all-time favorite plant-based ghost stories with you today.
This is a classic Appalachian tale that was first recorded by folklorist Ruthann Musick in 1965. It's called The Tell-Tale Lilac Bush, and it goes something like this:
Many, many moons ago, there was a young couple, Jeb and Lila, who met late one winter and fell madly in love. They had a whirlwind romance and decided to plan a spring wedding to coincide with the lilac bloom. Because, after all, they were Lila's favorite flowers.
So when the day finally arrived, all the townsfolk came out to celebrate the young couple. And everybody said that Lila was just as pretty as the lilacs she carried down the aisle.
Then after the honeymoon, the happy couple settled into an old homestead about a mile outside of town. But it wasn't long before rumors started spreading that the marriage wasn't exactly a happy one. And people started to see less and less of Lila. And at a certain point, the townsfolk realized that they actually hadn't seen Lila in quite some time. In fact, nobody could remember the last time they'd actually seen Lila. Had it been a month or a year?
Well, the next time Jeb came into town to pick up some supplies, the shopkeeper asked after her. “Hey Jeb, how's Lila doing?”
“Oh, she's doing just fine,” said Jeb. “In fact, she's just as pretty as those lilacs on her wedding day.”
“Well, we hadn't seen her in a while, so we were just a-wondering.”
“Yeah, well, you know, she's actually visiting her sister, who she's very close to, and that sister's having a tough time, so she probably won't be back for quite some time.”
“Oh,” said the shopkeeper, “Well, you just be sure to tell her we asked about her.”
“Oh I will,” said Jeb, “You know, come to think of it, said Jep, it's been a little lonely back there at the homestead since Lilac's been gone—you know, visiting her sister and all. So, I thought I'd have a party and I'd like to invite all the townsfolk.”
And you know what? That's just what he did. In fact, he had a BIG party. Of course, everybody came on account of being real curious and all.
Then, round about midnight, on the night of the party, there was a group of young men sitting on the front porch who all of a sudden heard a really strange sound.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
So, they stopped and looked around and saw the strangest thing—they saw a lilac bush just a beatin' the side of the house.
Of course, they thought that was real curious…specially since there was no wind that night.
So a couple of them got up and ran to the barn and grabbed some shovels, and they started digging at the base of the lilac bush. And of course, it wasn't long before they found her.
There was Lila, lying there, dead, clutching the root ball of that lilac bush in her hand.
But you know, the strangest thing of all, was that even though it was clear Lila had been there for quite some time, Jeb was right—she looked just as pretty as those lilacs on her wedding day.
Do you love ghost stories? Do you know any that involve plants? I would LOVE to hear it if you do. But I’d honestly love to hear any ghost story you have! Just hit reply and share. Or just leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you either way!
Happy Halloween!
The Tell-Tale Lilac Bush