Three Times My Name
Do you remember those old ghost stories, the ones that really scare you, the ones where they start out with a “dark and stormy night”? Well in those stories the ghost is always called out, they’re name is spoken 3 times unbroken. Do you know what the reason they call the name 3 times is? Why do you have to say the name 3 times in a row?
Well, the reason for it goes back hundreds of years, back to the dark days. Back when kings and kingdoms dominated the land.
And there was a small home where a family of three stayed.
The father, Brutus, The Mother Juliet, and the son Ellis.
They lived together in poverty and made do with what they could.
Ellis would play with the younger boys around the village he lived in.
And the mother and father would do their parts making a living and providing for their son. The mother stayed home cleaning and cooking for her family, and the father was a carpenter. One day, Ellis was bored because none of the other boys wanted to play with him. So he went to play with his mother. But his mother was busy, and she told him to play with his father. The father was outside, whittling a small piece of wood, into what looked like an old woman. Ellis came to his father and begged him to play. But the father was busy, instead, the father said “Go out into the forest, where the deer like to frolic, and the rabbits like to hop.”.
Ellis was unimpressed, he asked what could be entertaining in the forest. But the father remained silent. Ellis kept pestering his father until eventually, his father came up with an idea. “Would you like to hear a story Ellis?” his father asked. Ellis nodded.
And his father began “there once was an old woman, that looks a lot like the one I’m carving now, and her name was Tanya. Tanya is an old woman that lives in the forest, she would play with all the children looking for her. But only if they found her.”
Ellis was in awe, listening to every word. He loved to think about how someone out in the forest would play with him as long as he wanted as he looked for her.
Ellis asked his father if he could look for her, he wanted to play with the old woman in the woods.
The father gave permission to Ellis on one condition. He could wander in the forest, as long as he, one, came home before sunset, and two didn’t wander past the willow tree. The willow tree marked the eastern side of the forest and was used as a sign for warning against danger. Because the east side of the forest is not what you would call safe. That’s where most of the bears and wolves were.
Ellis agreed hastily and ran off to the forest. Some might think that it was irresponsible to send your son out into the forest to look for some stranger. But Brutus was smarter than he looked. He knew there was no woman in the woods. It was an old wives’ tale that was told from generation to generation.
Ellis was sent to wander in the woods until bedtime.
Moments later Ellis was met with the beginning of the forest.
Ellis made his way into the forest, wandering past trees and stones, and boulders covered in moss.
He found all sorts of things, but not an old woman in the woods
So he kept looking. It wouldn’t be long till sunset. But Ellis was determined to find this mystery woman.
Eventually, he came upon the willow tree, and his father’s words returned to him. “Don’t wander past the willow tree”. Ellis had planned on heading his father’s warning, so he turned back. But as he walked away, a soft humming came behind him. He turned back. And he saw a woman standing behind the willow tree, except she wasn’t old, she was much younger than his father said. She was maybe Ellis’ age or younger.
Ellis was infatuated, he called out to her “who are you? What’s your name?” but there was no reply. The young girl just kept humming softly. She started to walk away, past the willow tree.
Ellis was forgetful and wandered past the willow tree in pursuit of her.
She was walking slowly. But Ellis made sure to keep some distance between them. And by the time he realized it, it was already night. The moon was far above his head. He needed to go home.
He called out the mystery girl one last time in hopes of maybe at least getting her name. “Hello!” he yelled “I’ve got to go back! Will I see you again?” he asked. But this time the girl stopped in her tracks. She slowly turned around. but as she slowly turned Ellis noticed something.
The closer he walked to her, her appearance changed.
The closer he got, the more pale and wrinkled she became.
He got close enough within arms reach of her. And the pale moonlight shed light on her skin. She was old. Much older than he had assumed the first time he saw her. She had wrinkles and blemishes. And warts and moles.
She was older than his father, and most likely older than anyone in his village. Ellis backed away and became nervous. “Who are you?” he asked, stunned. But the old woman said nothing but simply smiled.
And in an instant a cloud shaded the moonlight, making it pitch black. And when the moonlight reappeared. Neither were there to be found.
Moments later you could hear all sorts of people coming. A group of people to find Ellis most likely.
“Ellis!?” The father yelled in fear. then “Ellis!?” The mother yelled anxiously. Then the mother and father came across a field and called out “Ellis!?” for the third time. And in the field they saw a little boy, that looked about the same age as Ellis. And the mother and father called out, “Who are you? Where is our son?”. But the boy ignored them, instead, he started to hum softly. And he turned around and began to walk into the forest. Waiting for the parents to follow.
And that’s how the rumor of calling the name of a ghost three times to summon it was born.