Ghostly Music at Grassy Island (part two)

As we continue this week with some more folklore about the Pee Dee River area, we find that there were several fords used to cross the river. One of these rocky fords was located just north of what is referred to as the Grassy Island section of Pee Dee River.

As the white settlers were moving in, most of the local Native American tribes in the area had died out or moved westward. But some of the Indians culture and legends still seem to linger and their stories were handed down for years.

So, it was with the ghostly music around Grassy Island. Why, it seemed every time a thick fog moved in on the river, folks could hear the sweetest flute music coming from both sides of the riverbank around the many small islands. At first the new settlers thought it was just the wind blowing through the trees, but some old timers said not, that it was part of an old Indian legend they had heard about for years. The Ol’ timers just couldn’t remember all the details, but they knew it was true.

As years went by, and to the surprise, the settlers who lived on the eastern bank of the river observed a small band of Indians crossing the ford on foot. Leading the party was a native Sharman dressed in full native attire.

Naturally suspicious, the settlers wanted to know why the Indians had crossed the river in full daylight and what were they up to.

What the native Sharman told them was enough to raise the hair on a dog’s back!!!

Using broken English, the Sharman said that they were there to appease the wondering spirits of two of their own people.

To the settlers this was just nonsense, but they left the Indians alone while they held their native ritual.

As the natives were winding down their ritual a flute was played. The settlers thought this was some of the most beautiful music they had ever heard, and it seemed the angels in heaven had their ears tuned in from above.

As the Indians got up all their stuff and started to cross back across the river, a white young man asked the Sharman exactly what had just taken place.

The Sharman replied–“young buck, many years ago a young Indian brave, son of a great chief, who lived on the other side of this great river, and a young Indian maiden that lived on this side of the river were deeply in love. For some reason their fathers didn’t get along and

so the young lovers had to meet in secret. When they couldn’t meet as sometimes the river had swollen or they were being spied upon each would play a song on their flutes for the other to hear across the river.”

As many moons went by,’’ said the Sharman, the two parties of Indians were at war with each other over who would fish or hunt along the river. Many young braves were killed but all this did not take away the love this young couple had for each other.” With only the sounds of their flutes from opposite sides of the river did the couple dare to communicate.

With a glare in his eyes and his arms opened wide toward the river, the Sharman spoke “It was on a real foggy morning, and the river was running high, that the young brave heard the sound of his lover’s flute across the river. With all his heart and soul, he could not resist his love for the young maiden any longer.

“Braving the rushing waters, the young Indian brave made his way toward the middle of the river., all the while heading toward the arms of his lover and the sound of her flute.”

“But this love was not to be,” said the Sharman,” for as he reached the depths of the river, he lost sight of the steppingstones, and the strong current washed him down the river to his death. Never to be seen again.”

‘Word soon spread that the young brave had perished below the rocks in the great waters of the mighty river.”

The death of the chief’s son seemed to bring an end to the war, but the young maiden never got over the death of her lover. For days she would make her way down to the bank of the river to play her flute hoping the spirit of her lover would return.

It was on a foggy morning, after the maiden had played her flute for the last time, that she heard the most beautiful music coming from the opposite side of the river. These were the same notes that her young lover had played too her in times-past.

Without hesitation the maiden jumped into the rushing waters of the river. She was determined to reach her lover on the opposite side at any cost.

Sadly, the maiden also vanished beneath the great waters only to be reunited with her lover in another world.

As the Sharman finished telling the story to the young man, a great fog seemed to appear over the waters of the river and the heavens seem to come alive with sounds of hundreds of flutes.

The band of Indians had come to appease the spirits of the young lovers of their tribes, but it seemed no man on earth could take away the affection these two lovers had for each

other. It is said even today as you paddle around Grassy Island on a foggy morning, you can still hear the mournful music of flutes coming from both sides of the mighty Pee Dee River.