THE BLUE LIGHT

BY: BARNEY SHEPHERD

BACK WHEN I WAS GROWING UP, WE DIDN’T HAVE ELECTRICITY IN OUR BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAIN HOME.  WE HEATED THE HOUSE AND COOKED OUR FOOD WITH WOORD FIRES AND AT NIGHT WE RELIED UPON KEROSENE LAMPS FOR LIGHT.

LATE, ONE SULTRY SUMMER EVENING, JUST BEFORE DARK, MY FATHER HANDED ME AN EMPTY CAN AND SENT ME SISTER ALTA AND I UP TO LETCH WEAVERS STORE TO PURCHASE A GALLON OF KEROSENE.  HE WANTED TO HAVE A SETBACK GAME THAT NIGHT.  ALTA AND I TOOK OUR SLOW SWEET EASY TIME AND BY THE TIME WE FOR BACK HOME IT WAS PLUMB DARK.  DAD, MOM AND THE REST OF THE FAMILY HAD GROWN TIRED OF WAITING FOR US TO RETURN WITH THE KEROSENE AND HAD GONE UP TO MY UNCLE LEONARDS TO PLAY CARDS.

THERE WERE TWO HUGE STONE CHIMNEYS ON EACH SIDE OF OUR HOUSE WITH TWO LARGE ROOMS SITUATED BETWEEN THESE STONE STRUCTURES.  THE BEDROOM LEADING TO THE UPSTAIRS WAS ON THE RIGHT SIDE AND THE LIVING ROOM WITH A FRONT DOOR ENTRANCE WAS ON THE LEFT.  EACH ROOM WAS BLESSED WITH A LARGE FIREPLACE.  THE DINING ROOM AND KITCHEN WERE ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE HOUSE.  YOU ENTERED THESE TWO ROOM THROUGH THE LIVING ROOM.

ALTA AND I OPENED THE FRONT DOOR AND KIND OF TIPTOED THROUGH THE DARKENED LICING ROOM TO THE DINING ROOM AND PLACED THE KEROSENE ON THE TABLE WHERE WE PLANNED TO FILL THE LAMPS AND GET SOME LIGHT.  IN THE DARKNESS WE WERE FUMBLING AND FEELING OUR WAY BACK TOWARD THE LIVING ROOM TO FIND THE LAMPS WHEN ALL AT ONCE WE SAW THIS SMALL TRANSLUCENT BLUE LIGHT ABOUT SIX INCHES IN DIAMETER BOBBING UP AND DOWN IN THE FIREPLACE.  IT GAVE OFF AN EEIRE FLOW AND THE WHOLE ROOM SEEMED TO DANCE TO SHADOWY REFLECTIONS.  IT DANCED AROUND IN THE FIREPLACE FOR A WHILE AND THEN SLOWLY DRIFTED ACROSS THE LIVING ROOM FLOOR TOWARD THE BEDROOM TO OUR LEFT.  IT KEPT BOBBING UP AND DOWN ALL THE WAY.  THE SHADOWY REFLECTIONS KEPT DANCING AS IT FLOATED THROUGH THE DOOR TO THE BEDROOM.  IT GLIDED RIGHT UP INTO THE FIREPLACE ON THAT SIDE OF THE HOUSE WHERE IT SEEMED TO GLOW A LITTLE BRIGHTER.  THEN IN AN INSTANT IT AROSE AND WENT UP THE CHIMNEY.  WE WERE SUDDENLY IN TOTAL DARKNESS!

ALTA AND I GOT WEDGED IN THE FRONT DOORWAY.  WE FINALLY GOT OUT OF THE HOUSE AND RAN ALL THE WAY TO UNCLE LEONARDS.  DAD HAD TO FILL AND LIGHT EVERY LAMP WE OWNED BEFORE WE WOULD GO BACK INTO THE HOUSE.  WE NEVER SAW THE BLUE LIGHT AGAIN. 

A blue light danced
One summer’s eve.
No one seemed to know
And to this day
No one can say
What made that ghost light glow.
So long,
So long,