The Grey Man of Hatteras Island
The Legend of the Hurricane Ghost
A warning of something dangerous, an oman of sorts, or perhaps simply a wandering spirit of a lost individual; we have the Grey Man of Hatteras Island. A mysterious figure that seems to stroll the beaches of the isle whenever there is a coming storm. Becoming a sort of beacon of warning for the island’s residents. This strange being has grown to be a local legend and commonplace within the region. Yet who or what the Grey Man is still remains a mystery to this day.
Hurricanes are a part of life in this region of the United States. Every few years the east coast gets hit with one of these tremendous storms. The ones that you truly want to avoid, due to the damage it provides. The storms always eventually move on, but the loss of property or life is always frightening at that moment.
No location however, within the State of South Carolina, is more vulnerable to hurricanes and their destructive capability, than Cape Hatteras. Hatteras Island sits right on the edge of the Gulf Stream, which is a massive current of warm water that circles through the Atlantic. This current is so powerful that it actually shaped the island itself that Cape Hatteras sits at the edge of. The Gulf Stream is also a path that hurricanes in the Atlantic often take. Drawing their energy from the warm waters and allowing them to last longer.
Unfortunately for Cape Hatteras, it sits right along that line and is why it’s so vulnerable to these storms.
But the island seems to have it’s own sort of defense mechanism. A spotter perhaps, and that is the Grey Man of Hatteras Island.
The Hurricane Ghost
The Grey Man of Hatteras is an indistinct, shadowy figure who walks the beaches of Cape Hatteras as hurricanes approach. He appears as the first winds of the storm touch the island. Appearing whenever a hurricane is a true threat to the island and its inhabitants.
He never speaks, or at least no one has ever heard him speak. No one has ever gotten close enough. If anyone approaches the Grey Man, his form slowly fades into that of salty air. Completely vanishing before the curious onlooker can reach where he was standing.
But his presence alone is enough to warn the islanders. If he’s seen on a beach, know that the oncoming storm will be a bad one. He’s a warning that nature is still something to be taken seriously.
Who Is This Spirit?
Who is the Grey Man? Some people say that he’s the ghost of a sailor from the island who died at sea in a hurricane. They say that he comes back to warn his fellow islanders of the danger, because his soul was so terrorized by his windy, watery end that he can’t bear to go on from this world while he can still prevent others from sharing his fate.
Some others will tell you that he never was a man, that he’s just a force of nature. That he’s not so much a ghost as he is a spirit. An expression of the force pushing the wind and waves towards the vulnerable island.
Even in today’s world, where we watch storms form from space, and fly airplanes to measure the winds; we still give each hurricane a name when it’s born. We may name them because some still think that anything so powerful and so willful must be alive. Maybe the Grey Man is just the hurricane itself talking to us. The voice of that living force born out of the deep ocean.
Whomever he was, the Grey Man of Hatteras still walks the beaches under the shadow of the tallest lighthouse. Setting a warning whenever a hurricane heads towards the island. Cape Hatteras has gone from being a lonely little island, to a crowded tourist beach. Yet the Grey Man still warns us of the coming storm.
So if you’re ever on Hatteras and you turn on the TV and they’re talking about a storm; stroll down the cloud-covered beach and look out towards the waves as the first rain begins to fall. Look for a shadowy figure, prowling the beach where the high waves hit the sand.
And if you see him, pack up and get off the island as quick as you can. This storm is going to be a big one
About the Creator
Realm Unknown
Writing stories and article style collections of haunted and paranormal locations or events. I have been writing scripts and doing research on these topics for years.
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The Revenge
This is a tale of revenge, about a young man who finally snaps one day, letting his frustrations vent, in the worst way possible. His whole life he always let people control him, never standing up for himself and demanding freedom. He always did exactly what his mother and father said, no matter how difficult. His wife bosses him around too, he had failed at dating a million women before her, so was willing to obey just to remain married. He had become weak willed, tired and still very timid of everything and everyone around him. This man was named William Smith and he had been moulded into a victim of modern society, where masculinity was frowned upon and he was often called a creep for daring to approach women, back when he was a single male. His wife, Romana Smith, knew exactly the type of guy William was and manipulated his every life decision since they had met. It was a mostly loveless marriage, that only lasted because they were financially dependent upon each other. Although it wasn't her that drove William mad with rage, it was all the horrible men who thought they were so much bigger and stronger than him, pushing him around when he was in work or out drinking back in his youth. For decades the humiliation of being thrown out of the nightclub in Runcorn old town, and then beaten by the doormen there, was something that still angered him to this day. It was all because he was a little "too drunk", or perhaps weakened by the alcohol, so they saw him as an easy target to pick on. He tried to report their abuse, but the owner, Mack Oaks, defended their corrupt security and called him the drunken idiot who deserved what happened to him. Oh, William refused to believe getting kicked around like a football was a worthy punishment, for simply having too much of a good time. He still had the scars from that attack from several years ago, before he met Romana and eventually got married. Yet it was still very much fresh in his mind. Another time, a few years later after he was assaulted outside the nightclub, William had a night job in a warehouse. The work environment was toxic. There was a supervisor who was also named Mack, who worked there. This guy was very different than the nightclub owner, but the name still unsettled William, who remembered the severe beating that boss allowed outside his club. So he ignored the name and continued working, but this second Mack would prove to be even more ruthless. This supervisor was an absolute tyrant, he'd order William about like a general and the shy young man would do whatever he asked. He felt worthless under Mack's rule, breaking his back lifting stock far too heavy and getting insulted on a weekly basis. It was pure slave labour and he couldn't stand it, William was eventually pushed to his limit and yelled back at his supervisor who then smacked William hard against the mouth for speaking out of line. William fled in terror and reported the abuse, but the company didn't believe him and fired William instead. This incident didn't result in a senseless beating, but the injustice of it was beyond upsetting. For several years, William carried this hate he had for these despicable people who had insulted him physically. He had moments where he forgot, then other days, especially at work, where he'd remember this abuse. It wouldn't be until he lost everything, that William would finally snap and lash out at the world. He and his wife were out drinking one night, a very friendly business man approached them casually, hiding his true intentions. They were so drunk, William and Romana didn't think to suspect this smiling man, who even bought them a few drinks from his own pocket. This so-called business man was actually more of a con artist, who ran his own independent company which "diversified" peoples money into multiple stocks, which often sank below the initial value. The customer could always withdraw, but the stocks would typically cost less than they first invested. Yet it was the high service charges, that the con-artist charged his customers for, which is where he got rich. He would write up these convoluted contracts that meant his customers couldn't withdraw too often, so that he could keep most of the money for himself. Giving back the short change through a legal loop hole. Most wouldn't fall for this, neither would a drunken William or Romana if they were sober. Yet the con-artist preyed on these two like a lion and that night, got them to sign over half their life savings. This one single stupid decision cost them their house, Romana blamed William for the mishap and they soon got divorced. When they finally managed to withdraw their money it was a faction of the original value, and the con-artist took a heavy cut too. 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