A Visit to a Spook Easy

                The Tennessee State Fair was in its infancy when I got a chance to go to this much talked of place.  Once inside the gate, I stood awe stricken and wondered if it could be possible.  After touring the midways and seeing the livestock and all the agriculture buildings, my companion and I decided we would like to get a glimpse inside the walls of just a few of the booths or just a peek inside the  curtained doors.

                Before we realized it, we had spent so freely, my money was almost gone.  Just then the weird chant from a booth plastered with skulls and cross bones caught our eyes.  The longer we listened the more curious we became.  The weight of this money was getting burdensome and before I realized what I was doing, my companion and I had bought tickets to go inside.  Once the ticket was in my hand the weird chant started again, “This way, step inside, see all the criminals.”  I rued the hour I entered this place.  My blood seemed to run cold in my veins.  What was I to do?  There seemed to be no turning back, because the man had my money.  On we went with unsteady steps and trembling knees.  All at once there appeared many forms of noted criminals.  In this group were Pretty Boy Floyd, Edward Hickman, and others.

                The bullet holes and the blood stains looked so fresh and real you could almost smell the blood.  On my companion and I trudged in this awful place.  A morgue would have been more pleasant at this moment.  My companion clutched my arm with a trembling hand and said, “Oh, look he is breathing.”  My heart seemed as if it would crack every rib in my body.  Everything went dark.  A big gruff voice yelled, “Stand still where you are.”  It seemed that we had to stand there an eternity before the lights came back on.  I had no desire whatsoever to finish exploring this place.  I made a quick start for the wide open spaces.  My foot caught on some big wire gadget on the floor and down I went with such great force that my breath was gone.  Just as soon as I could, I picked myself up and started again.  This time, I got outside and oh, how good it was to be free and alive.

                All those rides we had planned did not mean one thing to me, and the midways held no attraction for us, either.  Before we got to the gate on our way out, we saw another stupid looking place all glassed in.  People were inside seemingly just standing there glued to the floor.  On closer observation, it was a glass house and these poor people had been lured inside by the chanting of one of those beady eyed little men outside.  We quickened our pace and from that day to this, I never learned whether these people ever found their way out and I have no desire to ever enter any more of these questionable places.

By: Lula Gregory Flynn