The Scariest Thing

[Gweener]

Yeah, I was really curious if you had heard about this, Chainsaw!
Even with all the Voodoo history around here, I had never heard of this common practice. But that would probably be because I have never wanted to play around with stuff like this that I know nothing about. I like to stick to stuff that can be explained, but after so much bad luck, and making an enemy whose name is synonymous with the South, my curiosity got the best of me and I did a little reading. Needless to say, I was intrigued that the existence of real zombies was a real, scientifically plausible possibility!~ now that's scary! When I thought of voodoo, black magic, curses, sticking pins in dolls, and human sacrifice, along with the idea that you'd get back what ever you gave out thrice-fold were the only things that came to mind. That was enough to make me leave it alone! I've never even stepped into one of those shops in the French Quarter. But it is interesting. I had to share! The oxygen deprivation is an interesting theory. The book I was browsing said that it was thought that the bokor would administer some antidote,... say the person's name three times,... chant some incantation, and the person would awaken. It said that the bokor would probably keep the person drugged, or the drugs could have given the victim some degree of brain damage. Some studies showed that the puffer poison could give these symptoms. Others say it's too toxic and would simply kill the person. (There was a guy that got a sample of this magic powder and had it ananlyzed and found it was the puffer poison along with other toxins.) There's even been cases of a person that was though to be dead, being recognized by family. But some argue it could just be mistaken identity. Today's dna technology would be able to clear that up if there was a recent case. But it does give the imagination some room to play!

My dear Hazu, I 'm afraid my rambling may have steered way off topic! But maybe not, if it all goes back to fear... fear of the unknown, fear of not being in control?  

[ChainsawDooM]

Well, I am sort of a mini encyclopedia... whether I want to be or not.

The buried alive on accident thing isn't exactly new. Back in the frontier days (and perhaps even pioneer and pilgrim days) They used to have some problems with people getting buried alive. Sometimes, people would mix different alcohols and become so drunk that they'd fall unconscious, and some people would mistake them for dead. Quite a few people were buried alive back then.

... actually I think my dates are wrong... because part of the story is that they dug them back up and discovered scratches on the inside of the coffins sometimes, like they woke up and tried to claw there way out, but that doesn't fit with the period. That goes back to England, when they used to pretty much rent out graves (limited church room and what-not). Well, I guess since this is a retelling of a retelling of a retelling, some bits aren't going to be quite right.

Anywho, I'll get to the chase. At one point, they used to bury people with a string in the coffin that goes up through the ground and tied to a bell, the idea being that if someone was buried alive they would ring the bell and the grave-keeper would hear it and dig them up. I think there's some kind of old saying that arose from this practice, but I can't recall it right now.  

[ChainsawDooM]

Ah, I know what happened with my stories. I was combining two separate but closely related stories into one. The both involved alcohol, anywho...

The first story was like I said, England and the bells and the digging coffins up with claw marks on the inside.

The later on one did happen in the pioneer days. People used to pass out on the streets sometimes and be mistaken for dead. Since it was harder to tell if someone was really dead back then, families would usually find the guy laying on the stree, drag them inside, and lie them on the table for about a day, to see if they woke up. If the didn't they were really dead, if they did, then they obviously weren't, and were just very, very drunk.  

[Hazumu-san]

That would be pretty scary to loose to control of yourself.  

[loopylupe]

one of the most scariest things I have ever done was meet someone I didn't know that I met on the internet privatly at his home and let him do things that i know I shouldn't of done.  

[LittleTnCo]

loopylupe

one of the most scariest things I have ever done was meet someone I didn't know that I met on the internet privatly at his home and let him do things that i know I shouldn't of done.

Awh; my lil gurl loopy is growing up. hehe  

[loopylupe]

LittleTnCo

loopylupe

one of the most scariest things I have ever done was meet someone I didn't know that I met on the internet privatly at his home and let him do things that i know I shouldn't of done.

Awh; my lil gurl loopy is growing up. hehe

yep but I sure did learn my lesson form that expierience  

[Hazumu-san]

I don't think that I would be able to do that, I would be way too scared.  

[loopylupe]

yeah I would of said that too but looked what ended up happening because I didn't want to be a goody too shoes anymore  

[LittleTnCo]

Don't ever feel that way loopy. There is nothing wrong with being a goody two shoes. You are doing just fine. Hang in there.  

[Gweener]

Meeting someone u met online can be dangerous! I bet your heart was really pounding!?
I hope you chose to meet in public... and not alone?
I know two couples that met online, though. So happy endings (NO pun intended) are possible! They've been together for years!!!  

[LittleTnCo]

Well, you know; Grump and I met online and are very happy. It's not for everyone. But; we did meet in a public place. At a Church. Can't get any safer than that. Unless that Church is actually a haven for Zombies; ninja  

[Hazumu-san]

I've had another really scary thing happen a while back. I was in bed and it was about 3:00am when a bang woke me up. Then another, it was someone walking down the road firing a gun. The sound of the shots were coming closer and closer, then they stopped but I could hear the sound of someone out on the road. Luckily they left and didn't shoot anymore. It was very frightening, my hubby was just as scared as I was.  

[Gweener]

That IS scary!
I remember after Katrina, no electricity for weeks, declaring martial law, and neighbors putting up signs declaring looters would be shot.
Hearing the occasional gunshot was quite unneverving! We don't even have a gun.  

[Hazumu-san]

We hear guns occasionally here too. Unfortunately that is normal here, but that was the first and hopefully last time it comes that close to the house!