Book excerpt: Adults and children alike enjoy a good ghost tale. The Southern Mountain region is rich with haunted legends and superstitions. These short stories are previously unpublished and have been handed down for generations spanning nearly a century. * On a winding, dangerous road in Rich Mountain a lone driver offers a ride to a pale and sad young girl. He soon discovers that his silent passenger hasn't accompanied him to their destination, and he questions his sanity when he realizes she is gone. There is proof that she occupied the passenger seat, but where did she go? Hugh should consider himself lucky that she didn't stay along for the ride. * A coal miner seeks housing and employment in a small camp in West Virginia, but the only house available is known to be haunted. Previous residents report hearing wheezing and coughing from an unseen occupant hobbling on a cane throughout the house. Many families left the house to escape the haunt, but this miner doesn't believe in ghosts. Will disbelief be enough to do away with the ghostly legend, or will Jim actually discover that ghosts do exist? These and 10 more chilling stories of supernatural, superstition, ghosts and phantoms will incite you to consider the question do ghosts really exist? Can a spirit return from the grave to seek justice? Can a proclaimed fortune teller cast a spell of revenge? Can amulets and good luck charms change your destiny? Discover why the people of the Southern Appalachian Mountains delight in sharing stories around campfires at stir offs, pie suppers, and during brush arbor. Take a step back in time, get a chill down your spine next to a warm fire in the dark of night while smelling sweet sugar molasses. Are you ready to wander into the woods alone? Or will the spirits of the ridge keep you at bay?