By Charles Romans
Carter County Times
I asked a friend who is a pastor once if he believed in ghosts and his answer was a good representation of how people – especially those who live in Appalachia – react to anything that has to do with the strange or paranormal. He said, “Well, the company (meaning the church) line is that ghosts aren’t real.” However, on the heels of that statement he added, “But let me tell you what happened to me once…”
And that, my friends, describes the way most people view the strange or paranormal. Sort of like two equally dominant sides of the same coin. We are told not to believe, but it seems as though we are almost compelled to acknowledge the possibility. Especially if we have seen something that ‘just wasn’t right’.
I asked my friend the question because that’s what I do; and I’ve done that since long before I became a reporter. And on this specific subject I truly want to know what people think about the stories that have fascinated me since a very young age. Yes, I have read a lot on the subject. But what truly fascinates me are the eyewitness accounts. And there has never been a shortage of those where we live.
My grandfather was a very talented storyteller who knew a lot of these stories, and I heard a lot of those growing up in Rush, Kentucky. Some were stories he had heard himself and some were those he swore he’d experienced himself, and most of them he said were true. As I grew older, I soon found out that he was by no means the only source of these stories. People whom I would have said would never say anything but the truth would either tell stories of strange occurrences and what we now call the paranormal or they would support the same type of stories told by others.
Of course, there have always been those who disbelieve stories that seem to fly in the face of logic or accepted reason on sheer principle alone. For every question of strange occurrences these people have a ‘logical’ answer – often the same answer for multiple questions. Belief might be credible or incredible depending upon whom you might ask, but the stories themselves remain. And that, at the end of the day, is what I am interested in. After all, who doesn’t love a good story?
That’s why I started a podcast called Shadows of Legend (www.shadowsoflegend.com) and let people just tell me their stories. I have interviewed people who swear they have seen ghosts and those who make it their business to hunt ghosts. I’ve interviewed psychics and mediums and spoken with individuals who swear they have had encounters with extraterrestrials. I have interviewed people who have encountered Bigfoot and Dogmen, and those who have studied all these and more.
My guests hail from all over the world. I’ve interviewed psychics from England, a hunter from above the tree line in Canada who witnessed a Bigfoot chase down a herd of caribou, and ghost hunters that you’ve probably seen on television. I even recently interviewed a tarot card expert who was born and raised in the Lexington, Kentucky area. And not one single time did I try to prove or disprove their stories. Why? Well, there is a simple answer to that.
There isn’t proof that everyone will accept. So, I just share their stories, ask a few questions along the way, and let the listener decide. It’s up to you which side of that ‘coin’ lands face up when you toss it. Belief or disbelief – or will you flip the coin again? The next story might just help you decide…
Contact the writer at charles@cartercountytimes.com