The Blue Rocks: From Ghost Stories at Americanfolklore.net

A Massachusetts Ghost Story

retold by

S.E. Schlosser

The story was told furtively, in lowered voices. Buried treasure. Near the blue rock. A long time ago, an unknown ship dropped anchor in the surf near Wasque Bluff. A small boat carrying a mysterious figure, six sailors, and a large box landed on the beach. The sailors dug a deep hole inland near the blue rock, and the box was lowered into it. As the sailors stepped back, their leader threw a small green package onto the box. With a huge crash and a flash of blinding green light, the hole disappeared! The silent group walked back to the boat, leaving behind scorched, blackened earth.

After hearing several whispered versions of the story, two adventurers decided to have a go at the treasure. They would meet at the rock at midnight. The first chap arrived early. Tired out from his long walk, he leaned against the large stone and closed his eyes. A sound from the waters jerked him awake. Turning around, the treasure hunter could just make out the lines of a very large ship, sails set, coming in fast toward shore. There was no one moving on deck, and no one stood at the wheel. Yet the ship dodged the shoals and shallows as expertly as any fisherman on the island. Just when it seemed she would run aground, every sail dropped instantly and the ship drifted gently forward until her keel lightly touched the sandy shore. And then, with a horrible shout, the hatch crashed open and a group of glowing skeletons came swarming out onto the deck. They were a merry crew, joking and laughing as they handed around spades and shovels. Then they came filing down the plank, carrying a dead body.

The skeletons came right toward the rock. They stopped a few yards from the treasure hunter and started to dig. Almost instantly there was a deep hole, and the spades rang as they hit metal. The treasure hunter caught a glimpse of a large box filled with gold and silver, onto which the corpse was tumbled. As the hole was refilled, one of the skeletons looked toward the blue rock. It spotted the intruder and came for him, followed by its ghastly crewmates.

The treasure hunter was so stiff with fear that he couldn’t run. The skeletons swarmed around him like bees and lifted him up, bearing him back toward the hole. Realizing that they intended to bury him alive with the corpse, the treasure hunter gave an almighty screech that frightened even these terrible ghosts. They dropped him, and his head fell with a bang against a rock.

For a moment he saw stars. But fear overcame dizziness, and he pushed himself up and turned to find that the phantoms were gone. No skeletons, no ship, no corpse, not even any treasure could be seen in the dim light of the moon.

This scared the treasure hunter even worse than the phantoms, and he hightailed it for home. When his friend arrived at the blue rock a little after midnight, all was dark and lonely. Quizzed the next day about his defection, the treasure hunter reluctantly told his friend the story. His unfeeling friend clapped him on the shoulder and said: “Better you than me.” But somehow, neither of them ever went back to look for the treasure.

Read more ghost stories in Spooky Massachusetts by S.E. Schlosser.

Comments

LOVE THiS! [:

Posted by: Branddiii | October 19, 2010 08:22 PM

Wonderful story! I'm adding a slight nautical tone and looking to read this for morning announcements during the week of Halloween.

Posted by: Starr | October 20, 2010 09:59 AM

i love it

Posted by: maddie | October 30, 2010 11:32 AM

AWESOME STORY!!

Posted by: annags | January 8, 2011 08:53 PM

SPOOOOOOOOKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Posted by: Marissa Salter | January 30, 2011 01:01 PM

cool

Posted by: jocelyn | March 1, 2011 08:42 PM

awesome story folks!!!!!!

Posted by: amy | May 17, 2011 03:47 PM

cool I love it

Posted by: Anonymous | September 12, 2011 11:23 AM

scary!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: jessica | September 15, 2011 04:58 PM

That was not scary at all

Posted by: Bob | September 25, 2011 09:57 PM

Awsome stories of a blue rock!.!.!.!.!

Posted by: cheyenne smith | September 26, 2011 08:43 AM

that was goood story!

Posted by: hannah | October 16, 2011 09:56 AM

so scary ya i know

Posted by: chidi59 | November 9, 2011 05:57 PM

Loving thiss!

Posted by: Anonymous | November 12, 2011 03:55 PM

awsome

Posted by: Anonymous | November 29, 2011 02:22 PM

Why do you people like this? I can make better in my sleep!

Posted by: bob | December 16, 2011 08:34 AM

I live about a mile from the blue rock the way the crow flies. Had heard the story as a kid.
The big blue rock is there and treasure hunters have dug around it, but I don't think they dug deep enough.
Back to playing the lottery!

Posted by: Skip Bettencourt | December 31, 2011 02:23 PM

A nice story

Posted by: Clariationbabe | February 1, 2012 09:41 AM

cool story but skeletons are sooooooooo over rated and sooooooooo not scary

Posted by: luna | February 6, 2012 04:35 PM

this story is awesome story

Posted by: josh | February 21, 2012 03:58 PM

wow!! cool=)

Posted by: naomi yeboah | March 4, 2012 06:33 PM

Kewl

Posted by: Chloe | April 24, 2012 06:07 PM

Kool