Title: The Ghost Family

Genere and Sub-Genre:

Verbal Folklore: Horror Story (Campfire Story)

Language: English

Country Where Story is From: United States

Informant Data:

Rachael Collins was born in Dallas, Texas and is 21 years old. She currently attends Cornell University but before that she transferred from Case Western Reserve University, where she was selected to be on student leadership panel.

Contextual Data:

Rachael often goes camping but she heard this story during her time at Case Western Reserve University, when she was chosen for a leadership expedition where she went with other students and camped for three days. She said that this story was traditionally told every year to all the students on the program, and that the area where they camped was extremely wooded and they listened to this story while roasting marshmallows and sitting around a campfire. It was told to her that a family disappeared around the area they were camping area by as well.

Item:

Transcript of Audio File:

“One day, one day a long long time ago, there was a whole group, a family who went camping. When they were camping and they were sitting around the campfire roasting marshmallows,  when some one screamed, but everyone in the family was with them. Who could be screaming? Slowly the father stood up and he walked, he was trying to find where the screaming came from. ‘Where are you?’ he asked ‘Are you okay?’

And there was a light whisper that said ‘were coming for you. That’ll be you.’ He kind of freaked out, he ran back to his family, but they were all gone. Where were they? He couldn’t find them. He ran back to the town as fast as he could. He got the cops, the police, involved anyone really who could help him look for his family.  But no one could find them.

But 10 years later, someone saw the family, sitting in the exact location, roasting marshmallows. But the only one who wasn’t there was the father.”

Informant’s Comments: Rachael said this was a campfire story she told people often, but that she often told it in different ways. She also formally apologizes for recording this with Holiday Music playing the background.

Collector’s Comments: I have not heard this story specifically, as I do not usually go to Ohio (where Case Western Reserve University is located), but I have heard variations of campfire stories where family members disappear.

Collector’s Name: Alexandra Collins