Folk Tales

Well, some of the people in our neighbourhood believed in ghosts. And I know that some of them could be depended on, that they were telling the truth. Would you like me to tell you this anecdote about John Harris?

There were two farms next to each other, Pen-rallt and Blaenbrân. Pen-rallt was a large farm. And John Harris was a farmhand at this Pen-rallt. Blaenbrân was the next farm to it, and John used to go home almost every night to see his mother and father, around seven o'clock. And he was going home now one night, and there was a cottage by the side of the road, called Pen-crug. A man called John Morris lived there. And he was very ill at the time. Well, when John Harris got home to Blaenbrân, he said to his mother and father:

'John Morris is up and about, then.'

'No, of course he isn't.'

'Oh, yes, he is, I've seen him.'

The mother and father were stunned.

'Yes, I did, I saw him out on the road, wearing an overcoat, with a hat on his head, and a stick. I saw him.'

Well, they didn't know what to say. They went over there the next day to ask how he was. Oh, there was no hope for him. And he died that night. And that story is quite true.