Mississippi Warrior

Mississippi Warrior

By Joseph Parish

If there is but one epitome in life which I have just learned, it’s that there are customarily two styles of tales which have traditionally gained popular acceptance in the southern portion of our great country. These anecdotes either relate to the Civil War, or to your typical robust ghost tale. One is just as popular as the other, but when they are combined, they are a treat for any fine southern ear. During the late 60s, I was a guest in the state of Mississippi compliments of Uncle Sam, and the United States Air Force. Now, I am a firm advocate that wherever I may be located, I should make every endeavor to not only meet new folks, but to generate good will amongst the local people as well. I have always taken that rule to heart, and that’s exactly what I did in the lovely state of Mississippi. I used every prospect presented to me to engage in witty conversations amongst the locals.

Imparting the utmost respect, I discovered, the population center around Biloxi to be outstandingly cordial, and unusually friendly. No other locale within the south could even begin to contrast with the hospitality presented by the fine folks in that state. After establishing several close friendships with the local populace, my friend Oliver and I were often invited to remain overnight as opposed to driving after the consumption of multiple drinks. The offers made were of course cordially appreciated and accepted.

This one evening Oliver and I found ourselves as the guest of one of the more prominent families along the coastal city. Our hostess had meticulously laid out our necessary bedrolls in the parlor of their home so that we could retire as we deemed fit. Upon the family, retiring for the evening, my friend and I sat up and conversed for a short period of time, and finally decided to call it a day. Both of us were tired from the hectic day we had and sleep was urgently needed. As I lay on the floor attempting to fall asleep, I took note of the furnishings within our room. The television set was diagonally positioned in front of us, while our host’s favorite leather covered recliner was to our left. Various small tables stood at different locations within the parlor, while an assortment of typical Knick knacks was scattered widely around the room.

It did not take long before I finally dozed off and was sound asleep; unfortunately sleeping in a strange home was not considered one of my strong points. I generally did not sleep for long periods of time under those circumstances. Before long I was awakened abruptly for some unknown reason, and I happened to sit up from my bed on the floor. Upon rising up from my reclined position, facing the television, I quickly made a glance in its direction. Being shocked at what I perceived to see, I had to take a second look since I believed that I had viewed some sort of reflection within the screen of the set. As I stared at the television, I noted a vague appearance of a young man sitting in my host’s leather recliner. Curious as to whom it was, I quickly turned towards the chair only to discover it was vacant. Seeing nothing sitting in the chair, I once again directed my glance back towards the television and lo and behold the man was again in the chair. After several attempts to see the gentleman in the chair, I started to become shocked and a bit frightened.

The man who was appearing to me was approximately twenty to twenty-five years of age with dark, short hair, and seemed to be wearing a blue Civil War type uniform. Held tightly within his right hand was the blunt end of a bayonet, and from his posture I gathered the distinct impression that he was posing for some sort of photograph. He paid no attention that I was there in the living room and he continued on with his predisposed activities completely disregarding my presence. He acted as though I did not exist in the least.

For some ungodly reason, I simply was not any longer scared and frightened by the specter before me that I was viewing, and within a short period of time I had quickly returned to my sleeping state. As humans, we often imagine things that are not within the normalcy of our usual life. We foster notions that perhaps someday we would break through the barriers of time and space and reveal the characteristics of other worldly beings. Now I will not dismiss the idea that what I saw was a result of my imagination compounded by the drinks from the evening before, however, perhaps I really did see a reflection in the television that evening. Who is to say I did or I didn’t?

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