The Reappearance of the Bell Witch

Hello, my name is Kate Batts and I’m quite famous in these parts. I am known in the west end of Robertson County, Tennessee in this house. It became famous when I made my first appearance back in 1817 when John Bell and his family moved in to farm this acreage. According to local legend, I was the cause of his death. I find that humorous. My name has been associated with witchcraft and a deep sense of evil.

Tell me truthfully, do I look evil to you?

There are folks from Clarksville who would claim that I am the embodiment of evil around here. I was put on trial by my husband. I was found guilty by a jury of my peers and hanged in the public square of Adams. They took my remains to the cave near the Red River and put my bones to rest there, but my bones would not rest and are still not at peace.

In case you’re wondering, I am the famous Bell Ghost. My history is colorful and filled with all sorts of rumors and innuendos. Why, one of my first ardent believers was none other than General Andy Jackson. He rode a wagon toward the farm to help out his poor neighbor poor John Bell expel the restless spirit that haunted his home. He was afraid this spirit would claim his friend’s his soul. Hint, it was too late.

Due to the unaccounted supernatural obstruction of his horse and wagon, Andy proclaimed this was the deed of a true witch. Really? A man who became the seventh president of the county, whose executive order displaced an entire nation of indigenous people from North Carolina to Indian Territory, which is now Oklahoma, His order resulted in the death march which became known as the Trail of Tears.

I’ve had others who have added to my legend. I have this habit of reappearing from time to time to remind people of what was done to me. I was innocent and they still executed me for the crime of witchcraft. What evidence did they have to use against me? I’m sure Mr. Jackson had something to add to the discussion. He was a national hero after all.

My haunting is a constant reminder of the historical cruelty imposed on women by men. Often the accusations were levied due to secret trysts and dalliances of their accusers. Who’s to say? In the daily affairs of men, who is really guilty, I ask you?

Tonight, a couple from Memphis is planning on staying here for their honeymoon. So romantic. I was once in love, but he betrayed me. He did things to my daughter Betsy that were depraved in the eyes of God. The man Betsy chose to marry, Joshua Gardner was no better than her father in my eyes, but she claimed to be in love as if she really understood what love was. That’s not the part of my story most people remember. What they do remember is I was accused of being a witch. After being executed for my crime, my vengeful spirit haunts them as an uncomfortable and malevolent rampage of supernatural mischief, as it has been labeled by the locals.

Ah, here they are. The lucky newlyweds have just pulled up in their driveway in their hybrid. So young. So, in love. I shall fade into the masonry and wait for my chance to make them wonder why they ever chose this place to start their nuptials.

“I’ve got the suitcases, honey.” He says as he stumbles up the uneven path to the porch.

“Be careful, Derrick.” She warns him as she follows him to the porch.

“What a house, eh?” He looks at the wooden planks of the porch. “It’s hard to believe this house is over two hundred years old. The renovations are quite spectacular.”

“You and your love of architecture.” She puts down her shoulder bag.

“I am just amazed that someone took care of this place.” He marvels.

“This is an historic place according to the travel agency.” She knocks on the wooden panels of the house.

“It’s supposed to be haunted.” Derrick rubs his neck with his hand.

“By a witch.” She smiles runner her finger along Derrick’s ear lobe.

“You certainly do like ghost stories, don’t you, Maris?” He draws close to her for a kiss, but she pulls away.

“Honey, you can’t kiss me in front of the ghost.” She shakes her head laughing. “We could wake her up.

Too late, you foolish children, I am already awake and watching your sickening playfulness.

“I want to go to the cave. It’s on our brochure.” She holds it out and points to the picture of Bell Cave.

Please do not meander near my grave. Why those fools ever made that a tourist attraction, I will never know. On the weekends all the local teenagers hold their loathsome parties there They usually get too drunk to appreciate my spiritual antics, but every now and then I manage to send them away screaming.

“Do you believe there’s a ghost haunting this house?” Derrick asks.

“I guess we’ll find out, won’t we?” She kissed him.

“What happened to ‘we can’t kiss in front of the ghost?” Derrick wipes the lipstick from his face with his jacket sleeve.

They seem pleasant. She has a pretty, perkiness about her with her auburn hair still set from the wedding while he is a charming bumbling sort of man whose only goal is to please her. She talked him into coming here. He only agreed because this would make her happy. I intend to make sure they both get their money’s worth.

“Smells musty.” Maris wrinkles her pretty turned-up nose.

“Remember this place is very old.” Derrick shakes his head as he puts the bags down on the highly polished wooden floor.

I have had some great conversations with Willis Muldoon, the maintenance man who comes by once a week to check on the place. He tells me the town counsel makes a pretty good profit on the place. His family goes all the way back to when I was still alive raising my kids. Willis always asks me to do a couple of supernatural things while he’s here. It makes him laugh. He also brings his corn-squeezings because he knows I’ll never tell on him.

“Hey, there’s no electricity.” Maris whines.

“Not surprising.” Derrick opens the shades in the parlor.

“How am I supposed to plug in my cell phone?” Maris shakes her head.

“Maybe we will survive without our electronic devices, eh?” Derrick suggests, but Maris does not seem pleased by the outcome.

“Hey, there’s a loft.” Derrick climbs the ladder that leads to the room under the eaves.

I know these people will be easy to extract with a couple of my more elaborate displays.

“It says here that Katie Batts was capable of preforming all sorts of black magic.” Derrick read the plaque over the fireplace.

“Quit reading that stuff, you’re gonna freak me out.” Maris said as she headed for the bathroom, “I want to check my makeup in the mirror.”

Oh, this was too easy.

She stepped into the bathroom where there was a sink with a mirror above it. When she looked in the mirror, she saw my hideous face staring back at her. Derrick immediately rushes in when he hears her scream.

“What happened?” He asked taking hold of her as she shook like a leaf in a late autumn wind.

“It was horrible.” She tried to catch her breath.

“We can leave if you want to.” He told her.

“Are you kidding, I haven’t been scared like that since I saw Insidious.” She was still trembling in his arms, leaving Derrick confused as to what her state of mind is at this moment.

She was both scared silly and giddy at the same time. Oh, she was going to be a challenge. They had planned to go to Bell Cave where my bones had been laid to rest a couple of centuries before. I had things in that place that would scare the most hardy, steadfast soul. But first I would do a couple of parlor tricks to get both of them in the mood to have the bejesus scared out of them. Derrick was sitting in the parlor in one of the cushioned chairs reading some of the information on me.

“It says here that when John Bell went to get himself some water to drink, he heard a noise in the pantry and when he went to investigate, Katie Batts put poison in his glass of water.” Derrick read so Maris could hear him from the bedroom.

You’re darn tooting I did. John Bell was a wart on my hindquarters as far as I was concerned. He was nice and always spoke to his wife kindly and with respect. Fat chance I ever had my husband treat me that way. It was “Yes dear” this and “Yes dear” that. Enough to make me wretch.

“Honey.” Maris called out.

“Yes dear.” His eyes moved to the staircase.

Oooo, he was just like John Bell.

“My makeup is a bit out of sorts.” She answered. “I’m gonna need about half an hour to get it right again.”

“Take your time, sweet.” He nodded and got comfortable in the chair.

Dread and dismay. My ears are going to fall off. Wait a minute.

Derrick launched himself out of the chair when he heard Maris scream again. He went up the bedroom with only one objective in mind: to get to his bride in her sudden distress.

“It was awful.” Maris pointed at the vanity mirror.

“What was?” Derrick cradled her in case she would faint dead away.

“I looked in the mirror.” She pointed at her reflection, “And I had no ears.”

“That is horrible.” Derrick continued to cradle her.

“So, that’s what I would look like with no ears, eh?” She smiled.

What is with this woman? She sees something that should scare her right out of her bloomers and instead she just sits there grinning at her own reflection. I am going to have to go deep into my bag of tricks for this one. Perhaps we need a round of poison for both of them.

“I’m sorry, Der. I know you don’t like this sort of thing.” She puckered her lips as she reapplied some lipstick.

“What do you mean?” He coughed into his clenched fist.

“I know you don’t like things popping out at you without warning.” She giggled.

“I do find it rather unsettling.” He nodded.

“I’m sure this place has some creepy things hovering about.” She tilted her head toward the mirror to have a better look from a different angle. “Oh my god, my cheek is gone I can see my teeth.”

She was correct. Derrick was repulsed when he saw her reflection, cheekless. His beautiful bride was not so beautiful missing a cheek.

Ha, ha! Take that you self-centered bimbo. I can make your reflection hideous any time I want to. Why should I stand here and watch the happiness I was denied so very long ago? I have the power to reverse my fortune, but I am no longer alive to experience what I did not when I was alive. I cast my next curse upon you.

“Why are you crying, dear?” Derrick watched as tears began to flow down Maris’ cheeks, smearing the makeup she had just applied.

“What if the reflection tells of things to come?” She pointed at the mirror trying to talk as she sobbed.

“No, no, you are beautiful.” Derrick embraced her.

“Is that the only reason you married me?” She howled.

“Well to be honest, it was one of the reasons.” He felt as if his bride was becoming possessed as a complete stranger. She moaned in sorrow; her wailing echoed down the hallway. “Sweetheart, you must get a hold of yourself.”

“Oh crap, my mascara is running again.”

“You must stop crying.” Derrick went to one knee to look her in the eye, “Why don’t we go to the cave?”

“Alright.” She agreed.

The Bell Cave, perfect. In that cave there is a portal to the underworld where beauty does not exist in its natural state and once the door is closed and sealed there is no escape.

Derrick led his bride out the door and stopped immediately so Maris walked into him as he stood there shaking.

“What is that?” He pointed to the fence where a very large creature sat with the body of a hellhound and the head of a rabbit.

“What is what?” The creature asked in a voice that seemed to come from down below.

“You!” Derrick pointed at the goblin.

“I am one of the creatures who will lead you to the cave where there is a portal to the underworld.” He explained.

“Is this what you want to do?” He turned to Maris who nodded “yes.”

“Shall I lead on.” The goblin hopped down from the fence.

“Yes, lead on.” Derrick was weary from dealing with unnatural phenomena. Whispering over his shoulder at Maris, he said, “Just like what Martin van Buren Ingrahm talked about in his journal on the subject.”

Do not listen to his drivel. Most of it he got wrong because he used scripture to decipher what took place in 1893. Back then the occult was a much bigger deal.

“I feel a presence.” Maris closed her eyes. The cave was opaque blackness without the flashlight that Derrick clutched in his hand. Bars had been installed in the solid rock at the entrance of the cave that allowed one person at a time to enter the forbidden cave.

“I feel a chill.” Derrick shivered as they began to descend in the cave.

Open the mouth of hell. There was a slight tremble as the rocks rolled back allowing them to enter the portal.

“Now I’m getting quite warm.” Derrick announced. Suddenly his flashlight flickered and then went out. It was as dark as any place he had ever been.

“You are now entering Hell!” Maris’ voice was not her own.

“Maris.” Derrick gasped as she put her hand over her mouth.

“I think we’d better leave.” She said with her eyes wide open.

There was a bolt of lightning that streaked across the ceiling of the cave.

“You are doomed once you have entered.” Maris’s voice boom out like a ghoul from the underworld.

“Turn around slowly. We need to get out of here, before that portal closes and we are trapped.”

Maris slipped on the damp stone and Derrick grabbed her before she fell from the stairs. Derrick could not see where the bottom of the cavern was. There was a chance Maris would disappear in the fall.

“I’ve got you.” He pulled her back onto one of the stone steps.

“The portal is closing.” She pointed in terror.

That’s right, be scared. Know what real fear is, my dear.

“You are the Bell Witch.” Derrick pointed to Kate Batts as she appeared. Her eye sockets were vacant, and her smile was filled with cracked and broken gaps.

“You are so right. I am the specter of the Bell Witch.” I waved my hands about my head, “You have entered my liar. You see, I make a reappearance about one every hundred seven years. I am overdue. You came here to be scared, my dear.”

I ran my sharp fingernail under Maris’ chin. She whimpered.

“Leave her be.” Derrick held out his finger as if it was a pistol that could stop her.

“You cannot stop me you fool!” I cackled with laughter. “The flames await you. You will not escape this place.”

Derrick and Maris rushed toward the gate as it began to close.

“You will not make it in time.” I was right behind them, my hands outstretched nearly clutching them both. The problem with being a spirit is that the physical properties and laws do not apply to you. While they were in the cave and the portal was open, I could do with them as I wished. But out here in the open, I do not have the power to extinguish their miserable lives like I did with John Bell.

“Hurry Derrick, she’s gaining on us.” Maris warned.

“I can’t see in this darkness.” He yells at her over his shoulder.

This is to my advantage. Tree roots that break the surface can entangle them and then they will be mine.

“The house is up ahead.” He panted as he ran up the pathway to the porch.

I reach for the young lady, but my grip in this world is not strong enough to hold her as my prisoner.

He opens the door but is greeted with the darkness. Streaks of lightning spider web the black night sky.

“What is this? A lamp.” He fumbles with the kerosine and spills it on the tablecloth.

Fool!

“Careful, Derrick.” She puts her hand on his shoulder. He is startled by the physical contact, and he drops the lit match on the tablecloth. It immediately ignites sending orange and blue flames climbing up the wall until the entire room is engulfed in conflagration.

Fools! My house! My beautiful house!

“What do we do?” She pulls him from the room.

“We get the hell out of here.” He grabs her and leads her through the door.

I watch as my home begins to collapse under the rising pyre of billowing smoke and flames. My whole being is reduced to ash and smoke. The volunteer fire department from Adams will not get here in time to save house. I watch them drive away as my voice thunders out, “I will return. You have not heard the last of me.”