Wednesday, March 9, 2011

On the Road with Silver John: "Call Me From the Valley"



[For previous ballads about the Balladeer, click the "On the Road with Silver John" label under Features in the right sidebar.]


"Call Me From the Valley"

Caught out in a mountain storm, John seeks
A place to haven him until the squalling's done.
But he soon discovers the lone cabin he enters
Is a haunted home in more ways than one.

The young occupant's engaged in a strange mating rite
Meant to call forth the man she loves most.
A pity, then, that her "dumb supper" party is crashed
By a covetous ancestor turned malevolent ghost.


Manly Wade Wellman's short story "Call Me From the Valley" can be found in Owls Hoot in the Daytime & Other Omens.

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