This is my very own ghost story. I can’t believe I am putting this story in writing. Surprisingly, this used to be my icebreaker story. No joke, I told this on my pre-o camping trip before college. 

First, let me set some disclaimers. I was in eighth grade and also under a great amount of stress because it was finals week, so all of this could have been in my head. It starts off on a random school night, I woke up around midnight and couldn’t go back to sleep. It wasn’t that I wasn’t trying to go back to sleep but it felt like something was keeping me up. I tried ignoring my gut, but every time I would shut my eyes, I could hear an ambulance go by or would get a bad feeling. I eventually got in my own head so badly that I completely freaked myself out. I decided to run out of my room down the hallway into my sisters’ room. I tried waking her up, but this girl could sleep through the house alarm (which she has done before). I crawled into bed and looked over at the door. Standing in the doorway there’s a figure about five feet tall covered in what looks like a black sheet. As any good Christian girl would do, I go under the covers and start praying. Specifically, I pray to my Mom’s mom Esther that if something is wrong to send help. Then a light at the end of the hallway turns on and someone in a white shirt sprints by the doorway. Next, I hear someone call out my name “Lainie? Lainie? Where are you?” I yell “Mom? Is that you”? She runs into Eliza’s room and asks “Lainie, what are you doing in Eliza’s room?” “Mom, why did you come looking for me it’s midnight” and she responds “I just had the weirdest feeling I needed to see you.” We ran to her room and tried to wake our Dad, but he was mad and claimed we were overreacting. Whether or not the figure was actually there, the coincidence of my mom coming to look for me after I prayed to her mom is weird. Also, the fact that my mom has never once come looking for me in the middle of the night except for that one time is also freaky. But, the coincidences don’t end there. When retelling this story three years later as we’re comparing ghost stories with our neighbor, my mom got the chance to tell her point of view. She mentioned that when she ran into Eliza’s room, she saw a figure in a black dress standing at the foot of Eliza’s bed. That means from the time I saw it in the doorway and went under the covers to pray, it moved closer to the bed. That realization sent chills down my spine. Believe what you want, but the coincidences were all too freaky. 

*hey it’s Eliza here and what lainie failed to mention is that even AFTER seeing this so-called ghost in my room, both my own mother AND sister left me in that room WITH whatever creature they mf saw. After proofreading this, I have come to the conclusion to leave my family (should’ve made this decision earlier when Lainie watches TSITP with a straight face) k thx bye.*

Behind the Lyrics:
I chose to go with this song because it was Jazz Fest weekend when this happened and Dr. John was performing. Although this song highlights all the fun that happens in New Orleans, it also touches on the voodoo that is embedded in its history. I think it’s interesting how prominent voodoo is still in New Orleans’ culture, considering it first originated in the 1700s. When someone moves into a new home, if they are superstitious, they will hire someone to burn sage to rid the house of evil spirits (clearly we didn’t do that). Before it was the Voodoo tourists know it as today, it was a religion known as Vodou, which was brought over by the enslaved West Africans. The religion was also reinforced by those fleeing from Haiti after the 1791 slave revolt who came to New Orleans seeking the nearest French haven (even though Louisiana was under Spanish control). The religions blended easily because they all believed in one God who communicates via spirits. The local faith of New Orleans was mostly Catholic and there was no concern about the religion at first, which led to more religious syncretism. Therefore, Voodoo-Catholicism evolved which is the belief that one can use religion to connect to nature, spirits, and ancestors. There are a lot of similarities between Vodou and Catholicism, such as the Voodoo Deity Legba who controls the gates to the spirit realm is like St. Peter who holds the gates to heaven. During the 19th century, free women of color dominated the religion and made a living by selling amulets and gris-gris charms. The most significant Voodoo leader was Marie Laveau, who was called “The Voodoo Queen.” She attracted many followers from all different backgrounds, but she was mostly known for favoring enslaved people by providing them with charms to help them run away. Although she died in 1881, her gravesite is a major tourist spot, where believers of voodoo place offerings and gifts at her tombstone. Dr. John, also known as Bayou John, was said to be the teacher of Marie Laveau and was one of the most famous Voodoo Kings of New Orleans. Although less common, there are still some who practice the religion across the crescent city. I also wanted to point out how the song combines different elements of music, such as Jazz, Blues, and Soul. It is a very well-produced song that does a good job of portraying the lively music scene of New Orleans and all its unique culture.