This is not a personal encounter and I probably would never recount this story if I had not seen something on this site entitled “The White Thing”. This sparked my interest. I don’t know if my story relates since I left WV years ago and have never heard this legend.
I have been told a story since I was very young about a true encounter that my Grandmother had when she was a young mother. Her son was a baby and had a terrible cough believed to be the croup. Given the era and the poverty level in this area of Mingo County, she did not own a car and set out to walk my uncle the 3 miles out of the “holler” despite a terrible snowstorm.
It was due to this dense snow that she did not notice at first that she was not making this journey alone. After repeatedly hearing footsteps going along with hers, she looked more intently to the other side of the street. She realized that there was a “creature” walking along with her.
She described this anomaly as being white in color, looking similar to a cow but sitting much too low to the ground to be one. She did not, however feel threatened in any way. Her impression of the presence was that it was protecting and guiding her through the storm. At all times, it kept it’s distance from her and her sick infant.
Now word of such a sighting traveled very fast in this small community. It was not long before a local man sought out my Grandmother to recount to her a similar incident. He confided in my Grandmother that he had seen the same creature only a few day earlier. Unlike my Grandmother, however the creature had not kept it’s distance from this gentleman. According to him, it had “dragged” him from his home and up the mountain behind his property. Once there the creature had spoke to him and shown him bright colorful lights leading up to the heavens. The creature had told him that he was to tell none of there encounter or he would die.
My Grandmother was a bit unsure of this story since it varied so much from her experience. She quickly dismissed it. That is, until she received the word of his death three days later.
I find it a little odd how closely the physical description of this sighting correlates to the Bell Witch in Ten. Has anyone else been handed down similar stories from a reliable source?
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