The Yellow Ribbon
A Spooky Wisconsin Story
retold by S.E. Schlosser
Jane wore a yellow ribbon around her neck everyday. And I mean everyday, rain or shine, whether it matched her outfit or not. It annoyed her best friend Johnny after awhile. He was her next door neighbor and had known Jane since she was three. When he was young, he had barely noticed the yellow ribbon, but now they were in high school together, it bothered him.
“Why do you wear that yellow ribbon around your neck, Jane?” he’d ask her every day. But she wouldn’t tell him.
Still, in spite of this aggravation, Johnny thought she was cute. He asked her to the soda shoppe for an ice cream sundae. Then he asked her to watch him play in the football game. Then he started seeing her home. And come the spring, he asked her to the dance. Jane always said yes when he asked her out. And she always wore a yellow dress to match the ribbon around her neck.
It finally occurred to Johnny that he and Jane were going steady, and he still didn’t know why she wore the yellow ribbon around her neck. So he asked her about it yet again, and yet again she did not tell him. “Maybe someday I’ll tell you about it,” she’d reply. Someday! That answer annoyed Johnny, but he shrugged it off, because Jane was so cute and fun to be with.
Well, time flew past, as it has a habit of doing, and one day Johnny proposed to Jane and was accepted. They planned a big wedding, and Jane hinted that she might tell him about the yellow ribbon around her neck on their wedding day. But somehow, what with the preparations and his beautiful bride, and the lovely reception, Johnny never got around to asking Jane about it. And when he did remember, she got a bit teary-eyed, and said: “We are so happy together, what difference does it make?” And Johnny decided she was right.
Johnny and Jane raised a family of four, with the usual ups and downs, laughter and tears. When their golden anniversary rolled around, Johnny once again asked Jane about the yellow ribbon around her neck. It was the first time he’d brought it up since the week after their wedding. Whenever their children asked him about it, he’d always hushed them, and somehow none of the kids had dared ask their mother. Jane gave Johnny as sad look and said: “Johnny, you’ve waited this long. You can wait awhile longer.”
And Johnny agreed. It was not until Jane was on her death bed a year later that Johnny, seeing his last chance slip away, asked Jane one final time about the yellow ribbon she wore around her neck. She shook her head a bit at his persistence, and then said with a sad smile: “Okay Johnny, you can go ahead and untie it.”
With shaking hands, Johnny fumbled for the knot and untied the yellow ribbon around his wife’s neck.
And Jane’s head fell off.
Read more Wisconsin ghost stories in Spooky Wisconsin by S.E. Schlosser.
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Comments
oh wow, that was unexpected
Posted by: Anonymous | September 26, 2009 02:11 PM
I know a story exacly like that, except the ribbon is green.
Posted by: Madison | September 26, 2009 07:08 PM
i loved all the stories on this website!!! i shared them at a sleep over and al the girls loved them and i told my little sister the tung twisters and the native american stories and the little tall tails and children stories and my teeacher loves native americans and she was so pleased that she reads them out loud!!!
Posted by: Mary | September 29, 2009 08:04 PM
that was cool.
Posted by: valeria | October 11, 2009 02:49 PM
I know a story just like this too!
Posted by: Laura | October 13, 2009 04:06 PM
'tis unexpected,it was
(Yoda impression)
Posted by: Cloe | October 13, 2009 08:21 PM
so how did her head get cut off?
Posted by: Anonymous | October 14, 2009 10:07 PM
hmm well umm ok
Posted by: Anonymous | October 15, 2009 01:50 PM
I know the same story
exept it was called the red bandanna
Posted by: jessica | October 21, 2009 05:22 PM
thet was great
Posted by: brenda | October 22, 2009 01:44 PM
really weird but not that scary
Posted by: Anonymous | October 23, 2009 10:25 AM
wow.
Posted by: anonymous | October 23, 2009 01:54 PM
WASNT SUPPOSE TO UNTIE DAH RIBBON UMMMMMMMMM SORRY FOR UR LUCK BUDDY UMMMMMMM
Posted by: savannah westmoreland | October 27, 2009 09:57 AM
wow. well, at least she was already dying when he pulled it off!
Posted by: dallas | October 27, 2009 03:51 PM
I know the same story but it was a longer story about the same thing except this time the ribbon was red not yellow
Posted by: maria | October 27, 2009 11:23 PM
wow i heard the same storie but the ribbon was red and how did the head fall down that is cool
Posted by: halo | October 28, 2009 10:30 PM
"I like that her head fell off" -Justin
"It got suspensful toward the end." -Aiyanna
"I didn't like it, but I read it twice." -Arnim
""When he kept asking her about the yellow ribbon, I thought it was annoying to keep reading" -Cristina
Posted by: Class5X (PS205) | October 29, 2009 10:43 AM
she was on her death bed... johnny took the ribbon off... her hed fell off WTF!?!?!?!? SICK STORY MATE :):)
Posted by: Anonymous | October 29, 2009 10:58 AM
dumb dumb dumb dumb DUMB!
Posted by: Anonymous | October 29, 2009 12:19 PM
Oh wow! I expected that!!! Lol i guessed it hahahaahaahahahahaahhahahahahahaaa and her head was attached by tht ribbon. =]
Posted by: Annie | October 29, 2009 02:53 PM
I thought she was gonna have some type of bite that was infected wow was i way off
Posted by: ashlle | October 29, 2009 07:56 PM
woww ummm shuldnt of untied the ribbon
Posted by: xXCaitlinElizabethXx | October 30, 2009 10:33 AM
Ah, I know this story, but it was with a green ribbon in stead of a yellow one
Posted by: Selma | October 30, 2009 01:02 PM
my teacher told us this story in 3rd grade....i luv how it just goes straight to "and janes head fell off" hahaha luv it
Posted by: elizabeth | October 30, 2009 06:15 PM
Lol i know a story like that but its a Girl with a scarf.
Posted by: Yuki | October 31, 2009 11:39 AM
WTF!?!?!
Posted by: Anonymous | November 1, 2009 09:44 AM
HA! that is HILARIUS! it was so unexpected it made me jump! 11/10!!!
Posted by: sumone hoo likes commenting stuff | November 1, 2009 12:48 PM
WHOA MADISON I'VE READ THE SAME STORY!
Posted by: Seq | December 29, 2009 10:53 AM
i read it twice, i think its sad when his wife died.-kaytlin
good-ian
Posted by: kaytlin | January 4, 2010 04:10 PM
ok ,ok
Posted by: kaytlin | January 4, 2010 09:16 PM
Damn Scary storie... I honestly did not expect the ending.... wow
Posted by: judith | January 6, 2010 03:43 PM
Good story.....
Posted by: judith | January 6, 2010 03:44 PM
not so scary!!!!!!!
Posted by: Anonymous | January 7, 2010 03:34 AM
I know a story like this, but the ribbon is green
Posted by: Ally | January 9, 2010 06:27 PM
I read this when I was in third grade but the ribbon wasnt yellow it was green
Posted by: Anonymous | January 13, 2010 09:01 AM
I know THREE storys just like that except they had a green,a red, and a blue ribbon!!!
Posted by: Sierra Allender | January 13, 2010 08:24 PM
!?huh
!? so wtf he killed her by taking off the scarf or like she was living dead and he pulled it off!
Posted by: Anonymous | January 14, 2010 09:35 AM
I have to tell this to someone I loved it so much!!
Posted by: Rebecca | January 16, 2010 11:38 PM
I read another version of this. It is called 'The Black Ribbon'. The husband was too curious and undid the ribbon.
Posted by: Michelle | January 20, 2010 11:43 AM
I am 12 and I have read a book just like this but had different stories too. It was call The Dark Dark Room.
Posted by: Makayla | January 20, 2010 08:00 PM
wow sucky story if ur not even gonna tell how her head got cut off
Posted by: danyelle | January 31, 2010 04:30 PM
WOW! What the HECK just happened! How is a ribbon supposed to keep your head on!!! Cool story!!! Poor Johnny!!!
Posted by: Bobby | February 7, 2010 12:16 PM
I know this story except it's a tiny bit different
Posted by: Anonymous | February 10, 2010 01:01 PM
I wonder whether she felt comfortable wearing the ribbon throughout her life.WELL,I enjoyed reading the story.
Posted by: Ama | February 12, 2010 08:03 AM
awsome dude
Posted by: anonymous | February 15, 2010 08:24 PM
I Always Want To ear tHat Story Again I Heard It When I 5 And Now I Am 13
Posted by: Naomi Fast Horse Rockz | February 18, 2010 10:49 AM
loved it my freind told me that but u told it bttr
Posted by: Makenna | February 28, 2010 10:21 PM
wow that is not scary
Posted by: Anonymous | March 3, 2010 07:40 PM
ive known this girl since kindergarden and she has always weared this one ring I wonder if her finger will fall off
Posted by: Anonymous | March 4, 2010 08:16 PM