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Cultural Background |
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Storyteller's Cabin |
So the Wicked Man just kept on wandering around spreading his nasty ways. He headed up north up to Charleston, South Carolina, then up through Wilmington, North Carolina, and as far north as Virginia Beach, Virginia. Then he went on back down to New Orleans, Louisiana, and over to Jacksonville, Florida, and then back over to Savannah. He couldn't eat anything - berries would shrivel up when he walked by, animals would run away, and the water would turn black before he could drink it.
Nobody would talk to him - he was all by himself. And he kept getting skinnier and skinner - in fact, the only thing that grew on him was his hair. It got long and gray and wiry, and would catch on every tree and bush that he passed, and the wind would blow it around.
One day, he just disappeared, and the only thing left behind was his hair. It just kept growing everywhere he'd been. Southerners call it "Spanish moss," but that ain't what it really is. It's the hair of the meanest man who ever lived.
Y'all come down and try to pick some of it. He's left a nice surprise for you - a chigger or two just itchin' to get under your skin. To let you know where that mean ol' man has been!
To find out where this story came from, visit the cultural background page.
