Espanola Ghost Story

[Karl/Pa.]

This happened in the little town of Española, New Mexico , and even though it sounds like an Alfred Hitchcock tale, it's absolutely true.

This guy was on the side of the road hitch hiking from Velarde to Espanola (New Mexico) on a very dark and stormy night. The night was cold and wet and no cars went by. The storm was so strong, he could hardly see a few feet ahead of him. Suddenly, there in San Juan , he saw a truck coming towards him and it stopped. The guy, without thinking about it, got in the truck and closed the door. Just before he could say "Thank you", he realized that there was nobody behind the wheel!

The truck starts going again, very slowly. The guy looks at the road and sees a curve coming his way. Scared, he starts to pray and begs for his life. Just before the truck hits the curve, a hand appears through the window and turns the wheel. The guy, paralyzed in terror, watched how the hand appeared each time the truck approached a curve. Gathering his strength, he gets out of the truck and runs all the way to Ranchitos.

Wet and in shock, he goes into Red's Saloon, asks for two shots of tequila and starts telling everybody about the horrible experience he just went through. A silence enveloped everyone when they realized that he was crying hysterically and wasn't drunk.

About a half hour later, two other guys walk into Red's and one said to the other, "Mira, Jose!! That's the pendejo that got in the truck while we were pushing it!"