Death Waltz: From Scary stories at Americanfolklore.net

Death Waltz

A New Mexico Ghost Story

retold by

S. E. Schlosser

Within an hour of my arrival at Fort Union, my new post, my best friend Johnny came to the barracks with a broad grin and a friendly clout on the shoulder. He'd hurried over as soon as he heard I had come, and we talked 'til sunset and beyond.

As soon as Johnny mentioned Celia's name, I knew he had it bad for her. To hear him talk, Celia was the most amazing woman who had ever graced God's green earth. She was the sister-in-law of the captain, and all the young men on the base were infatuated with her. Celia was the prettiest of the eligible ladies that graced Fort Union society. She liked the spice of adventure to be found so near the wilds.

Johnny alternated between elation when Celia talked with him and despair when she flirted with another man. I watched their courtship from afar and was troubled. There was something about Celia that I didn't like. I never mentioned it to Johnny, but I thought she was too much of a flirt. I wished Johnny had fallen for a nicer woman.

About a month after I arrived at Fort Union, a birthday dance was given for one of the officers. To Johnny's elation, Celia agreed to be his partner at the dance. Johnny was dancing on cloud nine all night, until a messenger came gasping into the room to report an Apache raid. With a small scream of terror, Celia clung shamelessly to Johnny and begged him not to go even though he was the lieutenant put in charge of the mission. Well sir, Johnny proposed to her right then and there and Celia accepted. Furthermore, Celia told Johnny that she would wait for him, and that if he didn't come back she would never marry. I doubted Celia's sincerity, but Johnny just ate it up.

I was assigned to Johnny's troop, so I had to leave too. We started out the next morning, and had a rough week tracking down and fighting the Apaches. Johnny split up the troop; taking command of the first group and giving me command of the second. My men reached the rendezvous point with no casualties, but only half of the other group arrived, and Johnny was not among them. They'd been ambushed by the Apaches. I had to take command of the troop. We searched for survivors, but never found Johnny's body. As soon as I could, I ordered the men to turn for home.

Celia made a terrible, heart-rending scene when she found out Johnny was missing. She flung herself into my arms when I gave her the news and sobbed becomingly. The display turned my stomach, it was so obviously insincere. I excused myself hastily and left her to the ministrations of the other soldiers. From that time on, I was careful to stay away from Celia, who mourned less than a week for my friend before resuming her flirtatious ways.

About a month later, a rich handsome lieutenant arrived at Fort Union. He was from the East, and Celia took a real shine to him. Johnny was completely forgotten and so was her promise to him. It wasn't long before Celia and the lieutenant were engaged and started planning a big wedding. Nothing but the very best would suit Celia, and her bridegroom had the money to indulge her.

Everyone in Fort Union was invited to the ceremony, and the weather was perfect on the day of the wedding. Everyone turned out in their best clothes and the wedding was a social success. After the ceremony, all the guests were invited to a celebratory ball.

We were waltzing around the ballroom when the door flew open with a loud bang. A gust of cold air blew in, dimming the candles. A heart-wrenching wail echoed through the room. The music stopped abruptly and everyone turned to look at the door. Standing there was the swollen, dead body of a soldier. It was dressed in an officer's uniform. The eyes were burning with a terrible fire. The temple had a huge gash from a hatchet-blow. There was no scalp. It was Johnny.

The whole crowd stood silent, as if in a trance. No one moved, no one murmured. I wanted to cry out when I recognized Johnny, but I was struck dumb like the rest of the wedding guests.

Johnny walked across the room and took Celia out of her bridegroom's arms. She was frozen in horror and could not resist. Johnny looked at the musicians. Still in a trance, they began to play a horrible, demonic sounding waltz. Johnny and Celia began to dance. They swept around and around the room, doing an intricate waltz. Johnny held the white-clad bride tight against his dead body while a deathly pallor crept over her face. Her steps slowed but still Johnny held her tight and moved them around in a grisly parody of a waltz. Celia's eyes bulged. She turned as white as her gown and her mouth sagged open. She gave one small gasp, and died in his arms.

Johnny dropped Celia's body on the floor and stood over her, wringing his blood-stained hands. He threw back his head and gave another unearthly wail that echoed around the room. Then he vanished through the door.

Released from the trance, the crowd gasped and exclaimed. The bridegroom ran to Celia and knelt beside her, wringing his hands in the same manner as Johnny. His cries were all too human.

Unable to bear the sight of the stricken bridegroom, I took my captain aside and asked permission to take a small detail back to the place where our troop had been attacked by the Apaches to search once more for my dead friend. He sent a dozen men with me. We combed the area, and finally found Johnny's body hidden in a crevice. It looked exactly the same as it had appeared on the night of Celia's wedding.

We brought Johnny back to the fort with us and the captain buried him beside Celia. Celia's bridegroom went back East shortly after we buried Johnny, and I resigned my commission a few days later and went home, never wanting to see that cursed place again.

I heard later that Celia's ghost was often seen at dusk, weeping over Johnny's grave, but I never went back to Fort Union to see it for myself.

Read more spooky ghost stories in Spooky Southwest by S.E. Schlosser. Pecos Bill takes on a haunted house; a ghost hunts down his murderer; a witch tries to kill her grandchildren; a monster made of fire comes after a man and his son; plus 24 more spooky stories!

Comments

This is such a sad story! I cried when I read it for the first time!

Posted by: cookie4life | July 8, 2010 09:46 AM

i liked it. it wasn't very scary but it was entertaining

Posted by: Samantha | July 13, 2010 02:16 PM

she decerved what happened to her when you make a promise your soposed to keep it.

Posted by: Anonymous | July 15, 2010 11:42 AM

She really desirved that... cheater.

Posted by: blah | July 18, 2010 07:35 PM

that whore got what she deserved.

Posted by: natalie | July 22, 2010 04:02 PM

Poor Johnny! But the weirdest thing is that my twin brothers name is Johnny and my little sisters name is Celia ...

Posted by: Americanducklover | July 27, 2010 09:38 AM

@natalie: lol
yep, tht b*@* so deserved the ending

Posted by: stranger | July 27, 2010 11:22 PM

WOW! THIS STORY IS AMAZING! :)I REALLY LIKES IT..

Posted by: Mariana | August 2, 2010 02:05 PM

not very scary! but awesome!!!!!

Posted by: Samitha | August 12, 2010 10:40 AM

That cheating woman got wat she had coming to her, I really feel for Johnny!

Posted by: pizzedoff | August 13, 2010 05:19 AM

i wish these aweful people who post wouldn`t use curse words to describe these awsome story

Posted by: unknow | August 19, 2010 11:20 PM

sooo good

Posted by: char | August 20, 2010 09:56 AM

amazing although she got what she derserved when ur going to marry someone ur supposed to keep tht promise....whether their dead or alive!!!

Posted by: sarah mattingly | September 3, 2010 11:16 AM

wait! y would celia's ghost cry 4 johnny? didnt he kill her?

Posted by: maybellene | September 9, 2010 04:34 PM

she got what was commin to her

Posted by: blah | September 14, 2010 08:25 AM

omg

Posted by: Nekromantix90 | September 15, 2010 01:49 PM

wow not scary but good story!

Posted by: shayla | September 15, 2010 09:24 PM

I heard this story before. Only in the version I heard the woman didn't seem sad that her "love" had died at all.

Posted by: WebcomicSurfer | September 24, 2010 04:46 PM

oh poor jonny he wanted her to be his ghost bride that is sweet but then he left : (

Posted by: susana | September 26, 2010 06:22 PM

Poor Jonny died to protect them all and that is how she repays him. SHE DESERVED IT!!!!. LOL :*(

Posted by: Loserman | October 5, 2010 06:51 AM

Cool! I don't comment on any stories that often but this one was amazing! Not real scary but sad and entertaining! The lady sure got what was coming to her!

Posted by: Abbey | October 9, 2010 08:46 PM

WOW thats creepy.

Posted by: maria | October 11, 2010 08:43 PM

i guess she was love to death lol

Posted by: jeffery m lewis | October 15, 2010 01:55 PM

was nice and wasn't that scary

Posted by: anominus | October 16, 2010 11:44 AM

The first time I read this story, I laughed

Posted by: ameliamk1 | October 22, 2010 12:06 PM

It was so sad :(

Posted by: Amber | October 24, 2010 01:59 PM

iLOVED IT! bUT MAN that girl is a witch!!!!!!!!!!!!