The Bell Witch Cave

	Cultural Background
	Storyteller's Cabin

Written by Craig Dominey
and Babs Bagriansky

Liz was 16 years old and sitting right in the middle of what she called "Nowheresville, USA" - Adams, Tennessee. Why her parents thought she'd be happy spending the weekend here with her "country cousins" while they were gallivanting about in New York City on vacation was beyond human reason. "It's a peaceful place to visit," her parents had said. "It has beautiful, scenic farmland - very bucolic."

Adams, Tennessee landscape

More like bubonic, Liz thought, with a terminal disease of the drop dead dull.

Her country cousin Jimmy, also 16, was no help. He seemed to think dodging cowchips was an athletic event. Nashville was Liz's home; Nashville was where things were happening. All her friends were off to Halloween parties and spooky movie marathons. "Child's play," her father had said. "Halloween was meant for the young ones to trick and treat - older, mature folks had more serious business." Yeah, Liz thought, like seeing Broadway shows and dancing in Manhattan nightclubs.

Liz walked out on the porch and watched the sun set over the peaceful fields. Oh well, she thought, at least I brought my portable tape player. She put on her headphones, pressed the play button to hear her favorite tape and - the batteries died. Liz ripped the headphones off her head and sighed - wasn't anything going to go right?

Country cousin Jimmy walked out and joined her on the porch. I might as well hang out with him, Liz thought. It's better than talking to the plants - but not by much.

Liz turned to him and said, "So Jimmy, what do you do around here besides milk cows and bring in the crops?"

Jimmy shrugged, gazed out at the fields and answered with his lazy rural drawl - "Oh, I don't know. Fishing, ball games. I like to read, watch TV..."

"Oh, come on. There must be something to do around here. What's the coolest thing about Adams, Tennessee?"

Jimmy thought about that question a bit and said, "Well, we got the Bell Witch Cave."

Now that sounds somewhat interesting, Liz thought. "Why's it called the Bell Witch Cave?"

Jimmy seemed real reluctant to talk about it. "Cause they say it's haunted," he said.

Liz rolled her eyes - sometimes getting Jimmy to talk about things was like pulling eyeteeth. "Whoa, don't stop there - come on, what's the story? You ever been there? Did you ever see any ghosts?"

"Well, I've only been there once with some friends. It was kinda icky and muddy, and full of spiders and all."

Liz was now really getting impatient. "Tell me about it, Jimmy! Come on!"

Jimmy sighed, sat down and told her the story:

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