Wonder of Nature

McClamery Island Photo Courtesy
of Carla Sue Berryhill Ermel

On another occasion the boy’s were up around McClamery, fishing.  McClamery, for those who don’t know is one of the islands along the western shore between Cedar Key and the mouth of the Suwannee River.   

This photo on the right is McClamery Island, You can see the beach mentioned in this story. The lady on the left is Carla Sue and the one on the right is Denise Bishop. They were out fishing not long ago with Carla's husband Ray and stopped on the Island. Happy Ray snapped this photo and Carla Sue posted it.

They were out a good ways from the island but they could see a big light drifting slowly back and forth on the beach. 

Ghost Story Laid To Rest

One of the local ghost stories was that some man had died on the island and now haunted the island and the light was his lantern he carried as he walked back and forth on the beach.

It was in the fall of the year.  Chuck kept encouraging Kenny to push on up closer to the island.  They were scared spit less but Chuck said, “I want to see this ghost up close and find out if he’s real”. 

Kenny poled slowly and they got closer and closer.  As they drew closer they could hear a whirring sound.  They usually carried a double barrel shot gun with them for hunting game or to kill a big shark if they caught one in their nets.  Not many people around those parts ate shark in those days.

They got closer still; the hair was standing up on the back of their necks, cold chills running up and down their spines from fear. 

Chuck yelled, “Hey, who are you?”  No answer.  As they had gotten closer they could tell the light was a lot bigger than they had thought when they had first seen it.  It was about four feet in diameter.  

Chuck yelled again “You better answer me if you can talk; cause I got a bead drawn on you with a double barrel, and I’m gonna shoot you if you don’t, so if you can talk you’d better answer.”

Again there was no answer.   Boom!  Chuck shot one barrel.  The light scattered in a thousand directions but immediately regrouped.  How strange was that?  He yelled again and no answer came back.  And he shot again. 

Fireflies/ Lightning Bugs

The exact same thing happened.  Chuck said “Kenny push on up to the beach, I want to see for myself what this is.   And I ain’t believing that’s a man and I sure as hell don’t believe it’s a ghost.”

Still scared half out of their minds Kenny pushed them on up to the beach.  They got out of the boat and walked around looking, and the beach was littered with lightening bugs (fire flies) still flickering, hundreds of them. 

Because they had persevered against their fear they had witnessed a phenomenon rarely or if ever seen before by man.  I don’t think anyone knew at that time that lightening bugs would swarm like that. 

Had they known before time what that light was, Chuck would never had fired a shot.  They had laid one ghost story to rest.  And came away in awe and wonder of nature!

To be continued