Blinded By Love
Louisiana ghost story of a traveling preacher and his new wife who spend the night in a haunted house and learn that marriage can be even more terrifying than ghosts!
Written by Craig Dominey, founder of The Moonlit Road
Pastor Fitch was a serious and humble man – a might lacking in the humor department, but still a pleasant sort of fellow who was always confident that the good Lord was standing by his side. He was working hard not to let pride overcome him this night as he drove his lovely, young bride, Sarah Sue, toward their honeymoon suite in New Orleans. Gazing across the horse-drawn wagon at her, he admired her beauty, appreciating what a fine pastor’s wife she would become – with a little guidance.
Soon after they crossed into Louisiana, a hard rain suddenly poured down upon them. At first, the good Pastor kept on going- nothing was going to stop him from having a blissful honeymoon with his beloved. But as the cold rain came down harder and harder, he figured he’d better find shelter for the night.
By the side of the road, he spotted a small, run-down house with a light on in the window. He pulled up the drive, knocked on the door, and asked the elderly woman inside if she had a spare room. The elderly woman shook her head, then pointed toward a winding dirt road that disappeared into a thick, menacing-looking forest.
“There’s a pretty big house up that road,” she said. “It’s empty – folks there moved out a long time ago. Nobody’ll care if you stay there. But I wouldn’t recommend it.”
“Why not?” asked the Preacher.
“‘Cause some strange things happen up there,” she answered. “They say the place is haunted.”
The Preacher smiled and patted the well-worn Bible under his arm. “No ghosts will harm me, ma’am,” he said. “I’m a man of God.” The elderly woman chuckled and said, “Yeah, do what you want. Just don’t say you weren’t warned.”
Pastor Fitch and his wife rode up the long, bumpy dirt road, the thick oak trees sheltering them from the rain. Soon they spotted a large, gloomy-looking mansion peeking out of an overgrown yard. Thick strands of kudzu covered the weather-beaten stone walls, but for the most part, the house was in reasonably good shape.
The couple got off the wagon and slowly opened the rotted door, its rusty hinges creaking loudly. Inside the dark, musty house, they could see that most of the furniture was still inside, covered in dust. A large stone fireplace filled the living room. Long hallways led to other darkened rooms, but they had no interest in finding out what lurked in the house’s unseen depths.
The Pastor gathered some wood and started a roaring fire. Even though the warmth felt heavenly, the flickering flames cast eerie shadows on the empty walls and high ceilings, making the spooky house even more sinister. The Pastor sat his shivering wife in front of the fire, handed her his Bible and suggested she read some selected verses to combat any fears she might experience.
After an hour of sitting by the fire, the couple suddenly heard a strange noise from somewhere in the darkness. It sounded like faint footsteps walking up and down a distant hallway, pacing anxiously.
“Do you hear that?” asked Sarah Sue.
“It’s nothing, dear,” answered the Pastor, working on notes for a future sermon. “Read your Bible.”
The footsteps grew louder and louder, as if walking down the hallway toward them. Sarah Sue looked at her husband, but he kept his face buried in his notes, writing furiously.
The footsteps then entered the room. Sarah Sue looked anxiously about, but could see nothing. What followed next chilled her blood – a low, painful moan, filling the cavernous room with its misery.
“Dear?” started Sarah Sue.
“Ignore it!” said the Pastor. “Read your Bible!”
The footsteps circled her chair, the moan growing louder and more anguished. Her hands shook as she flipped the dog-eared pages of her Bible, reading the most inspirational, evil-fighting passages out loud with uncommon fervor. The front door then slammed, and slammed again, over and over, until it completely flew off its hinges! A fierce wind blew into the home, snuffing out the large fire, plunging the room into total darkness.
“Dear?” yelped Sarah Sue.
“I said, ignore it!” blurted the Pastor. “Keep reading your Bible!”
The howling wind roared through the house, knocking over lamps, dishes, statues and books. Sarah Sue read her verses louder and louder, while the Pastor wrote furiously. Suddenly, the noises stopped.
Sarah Sue turned and looked at her husband. He smiled back and said, “See? I told you no harm would come to us. The Word of God is like a sword by your side.”
No sooner had these words escaped his lips when a heavy object fell down the chimney with a large thump. It rolled into the center of the room between the Pastor and his Wife. They looked at each other for a moment, then the Pastor struck a match and held it down toward the object…
It was a man’s bloody head! What was left of its worm-eaten flesh hung in thin strands off its cheek bones. To the Pastor’s horror, the head opened its eyes and began to speak …
Click on over to The Moonlit Road to read the rest of the story.
We’ll be running a ghost story from The Moonlit Road every Wednesday in October. To find out more about the site, read our interview with Georgia founder Craig Dominey here. Feel free to comment with your own spooky tale or send your ghost story t0 [email protected].
