Book excerpt: Master storyteller Sherman Carmichael ventures into the Tar Heel State to deliver strange and mysterious tales along the coast. Read about shipwrecks such as that of the SS Liberator, which still sits at the bottom of the ocean off the coast of Diamond Shoals, and legendary storms like the 1911 Water Spouts, which were described as tornadoes spinning wildly atop the ocean. Find out why the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is said to be haunted by a large black cat. Learn about the origins of Boo Hag, a fiendish creature that sucks the life out of her victims as they sleep at night--a tale that originates from the rich Gullah culture of the Carolinas. Join Carmichael as he contemplates these stories and more from the mysterious side of North Carolina's beloved coastal counties.