One Story of ~ The Golden Girls in Their Youth

Ghosts have always fascinated me and have always wanted to do is to see one. Why? To prove to myself they actually exist. I wanted to know if they live only in stories~ made up to tell around the campfire or on when candles flicker away shadows when the power is out. Ghost stories are kinda fun and bring a wide-eyed sense of awe and conjure up a little fright, don't you agree? I like that feeling BUT only if they are only stories. Or friendly ghosts would be ok too.

The gang of girls I grew up with all loved a good ghost story. One night we happened upon a perfect opportunity to encounter a ghost.

Being too young to date, we frequently had slumber parties during the summer months. Needless to say, being high-spirited, these evening always lead to mischief. We felt we invented slipping out of a bedroom window to go for walks. There were six of us not 2 years difference in age. We lived in the suburbs of a city gave us a populated area to walk and feel safe.

Before one long summer was over, we had become quite adventuresome. We discovered the perfect destination, the drive-in movie about two miles from our community. We were thrilled to discover we could walk right in as the back wall of the drive-in wasn't fenced. We would go directly to the snack shop for pizza and cokes and head for a grassy knoll with an available speaker to sit and watch the movie. We got around to buying cigarettes too. That made us feel quite grownup.

One night, in an attempt to find a shortcut to the drive-in, we cut though a cornfield. Trekking though this field, to our surprise, we came upon a big old house just sitting there admist all the corn. The abandoned and dilapidated house was dark and forbidding. As we approached, we could see the windows and doors were boarded up and "No Trespassing" signs here and there.

It probably was an old antebellum house. Two stories and lots of tattered gingerbread. Of course, there was a third floor with one window without boards...an attic window...ohhhh...perfect for a ghost. We just knew this house was haunted for sure. All of us agreed this was more exciting than any movie.

Surrounded by thick cornstalks and guided only by moonlight and high anticipation, we approached. The steps to the porch had fallen and the boarded windows too high from the ground....walking around the spooky old house...ahhhhh ...there was an open basement window and goody, the pane had been broken totally out. We had found our entrance.

We approaced with only a little caution, as our sense of adventure was our usher. There was no turning back. There was nothing to do but to enter and explore. If a ghost lived there, we would know for sure, and we wanted a ghost story to tell.

To squeeze through that window wasn't easy and only two of us dared the undertaking. We found total darkness and loosened boards underneath us. Holding hands there in the dark, we realized as good as this setting was...we would have to end this adventure without encountering a ghost.

Looking back I wonder a few things. Why did the think we could see in the dark? Why didn't we think of snakes? Why didn't we realize it would be harder to crawl up and out then crawl down to enter? Why do the young think they are invincible? Youth amazes me.

This group stayed togther at tight friends through grammar school and high school and many, many adventures. Shortly after high school, we went in different directions.

Little did we know, 40 years would pass before we would once again come together and become known as "The Golden Girls." Our friendships had span Fifty Years!!!

iJune