SOUTH LOUISIANA– Today’s hometown horror story is about a Native American grim reaper of sorts. However, this reaper doesn’t like to wait for his victims to be dead to take them.
There is a constant battle of good and evil within all of us. Grayhawk Perkins is a gifted storyteller throughout the greater New Orleans area, as well as a musician, teacher and member of the United Houma Nation. He remembers a particular bed time story told by his grandmother growing up.
“It comes in many shapes and forms. Sometimes he comes as a shadow, sometimes an animal, sometimes an old person. A long time ago, there was a young boy named Markos. Markos had a young friend named Joseph. Joseph always got Markos in trouble. One day Markos was walking down the dirt road and sees a shape in a tree and as he’s going to it he sees an old man and the old man says hey. Markos asks the old man how did he know him. The old man said he knew all about him. He says, i’m going to give you a chance. You have six days to tell everyone you have wronged that you are sorry. If not, I’m going to get you,” says Grayhawk.
Markos ran to his grandma’s house to tell her what had happened. Markos’ grandmother told him to do what Istchahoula says, but on the back porch was Joseph. Joseph asked Markos what he was doing. Markos said he needed to apologize to everyone and change his life. Joseph said there is no such thing as Istchahoula. At two o’clock in the morning, Markos wakes up because he hears a noise. It was the old man asking him if he had done what he asked him to do.
Ischahoula gave Markos one more day to right his wrongs and after apologizing Markos met Istchoula on the seventh day and was absolved. However, he never saw his friend Joseph again.
Our Hometown Horror Stories are brought to you by The Mortuary.