Haunted Horsey
Duckie
by Ed Price
April 30, 2000
Three-year-old Billy Vernon loved the house where he lived with his
parents. It was large and roomy and there was plenty of room for a
young boy to play. He had thoroughly explored every corner, every
room, and even the attic. There was nowhere on earth that Billy would
rather be than the house on Paca Street in Baltimore, Maryland.
Christmas in 1911. One of Billy's presents was a little wooden horse.
The toy was on wheels. A string was attached so Billy could pull the
horse all through the house. Wherever he went, his "Horsey" was sure
to go. Unfortunately little Billy fell victim to scarlet fever that
spring. A week later he closed his eyes for the final time, his
beloved Horsey cradled in his arms.
His grief stricken parents mourned the death of their only child for
months. All around them were reminders of Billy -- his clothes, his
bed, his toys and, most of all, Horsey. Finally the preacher came to
visit. He had been terribly worried about the couple's well-being.
They had hardly attended church since the funeral. He suggested that
there were too many sad mementos of their son around the house. "I
would suggest you dispose of most of them," the preacher said. "The
toys, for instance. There is many a poor child who would love to have
Billy's old toys. And I think that Billy would have wanted it that
way."
The parents thought about this for awhile. At first they were
reluctant. After all, these things were the only tangible reminders of
their lost son. But the logic of the preacher's argument finally
convinced the couple. Most of Billy's belongings could be disposed of.
Only a few small things, like his christening gown, would be kept and
put away. Slowly and sadly the parents gathered up the rest of Billy's
possessions, including Horsey. The Vernons turned over Billy
possessions to the preacher who gave them away to needy families.
One week later, Mrs. Vernon was busily cleaning the house. She had
finished the dining room and had just walked into the parlor when she
suddenly jumped in surprise. In the middle of the floor was Horsey,
staring back at her. Impossible. She was sure she had given the toy to
the preacher. Just to be certain, she called the parsonage on the new
telephone the Vernons had just installed.
Yes, she was correct. She HAD given the Horsie to the preacher. In
fact, he told her that the child had "lost" the toy and was very upset
about it. Could he come by the house immediately and get Horsey to
return to its new owner? An hour later, the preacher was at the front
door and Horsey was turned over to him.
That night the Vernons were just getting into bed. The lights were
already out. A light rain was falling outside. A feeble light from
gaslights on the street posts filtered through the window. The couple
had just snuggled down under the covers when Mrs. Vernon suddenly got
the feeling that something was watching her. She told her husband. He
said it was nonsense and advised her to go to sleep. Still, she
couldn't shake off the eerie feeling that someone else was in the
room.
Mrs. Vernon raised up and looked toward the foot of the bed. Resting
on the thick foot board, was Horsey. Mrs. Vernon screamed. Mr. Vernon
jumped out of bed and switched on the lights. "I thought you said that
you gave that wooden horse to the preacher," he said.
"I did," Mrs. Vernon protested, backing up against the headboard,
pulling the covers around her throat. "And now it's back again!"
"You mean this has happened before?"
His wife nodded. Then both were horrified to see Horsie rise slowly
into thin air and descend to the floor. The string was pulled taut by
unseen hands and the toy horse slowly rolled out of the room. Mr.
Vernon sunk to the bed in disbelief while his wife burst into tears.
Both understood that their house was now haunted. It was the house
that Billy loved, and the only place where Horsey rally belonged -- in
the company of the ghost of their little boy.
NOTE: Antique toys are a big collector's item these days, but it is
seldom one comes with its own ghost attached. A ghost that haunts a
small object is called a manabee. And one of the main prerequisites
for a manabee haunting is that there must have been a strong emotional
attachment connected to the object by its owner. A small child and a
favorite toy would have that kind of attachment.