It’s probably pretty likely that wherever you live in this world, there’s some sort of local urban legend or haunted location nearby that has some sort of spooky reputation and a diabolical name. For me and mine, that’s The Devil’s Elbow. It’s a stretch of road reputed to be haunted by the classic ‘hitchhiking ghost’. Here’s a short little video about our particular version. Haunted History – The Devil’s Elbow
I’ve always loved Old Wive’s Tales, Urban Legends, and Folklore and thought I’d look more into what was out there as research into writing something of my own. While clicking my way through the Internet, this came little ditty came to me. “If at night, ye dare to roam, along the twisted, witch’s backbone, avert thy gaze, meet not her eye or cursed thy life and soon t’die.”
While researching my second murder-mystery that involves The Shadow Man, I chanced upon a reference to another being known as The Night Hag, or simply The Hag. She shows up while you’re sleeping and, as the legend would have it, suffocates her victim by sitting on their chest and sucking out their last, dying breath. Nice, huh? With the Hag in my head, and now the aforementioned poem in there with her, the concept began to gel. Her story would be a perfect addition to The Barnesville Chronicles.
We’re told that there’s some grain of truth in all these old stories, so what if one day some innocent kid, just minding her own business, suddenly finds herself looking straight into the eyes of this old woman? Just how much truth is there in that legend … and if she’s real, what about the curse associated with seeing her? Yes, she’s real. Her name is Rebekkah Hodak. As for the curse, I’ll just leave you with this …
“Avoid the dangerous paths she treads. Stay safe and sound within thy beds. For ’tis always best to neither walk nor ride, along the witch’s backbone at night.”
Consider yourself warned.
The Witch’s Backbone is now available for your KINDLE device. Paperback coming soon!
Can’t wait for the paperback!