The Milk Bottles

By Crusader1307

 An intriguing ''Ghost Story'' and some say Urban Legend – is that of ''The Milk Bottles''. It is an American Tale which is always set during The Depression Era of the 1920s and 1930s. This period of US History was a difficult time for many. With an unemployment rate of 90% - spurred on by The Stock Market Crash of 1929, coupled with a ''run'' on Banking Funds – people starved and suffered. In The Midwest, many Farms folded and thus thousands upon thousands wandered The Country destitute. In a small Town in Oklahoma, a General Store Owner was Himself barely hanging on. Seeing so many of His customers suffering, He often gave them ''credit'' or sold His goods for pennies.

Thru The Midwest came many who were traveling West to California and Washington State – in search of Labor jobs. Rough hewn ''Travel Camps'' appeared everywhere. Many of this starving ''gravy Ghosts'' were too given credit, so they could feed their children and elderly. Into the Man's store came one such girl – perhaps only 20 years of age. She appeared ''gaunt'' and ''pale''. She said nothing to the Man, save that She carried with Her two empty Milk Bottles. As was the custom then, One could bring empty bottles to a Store and have them filled. The Store Owner would always fill Her Bottles – trying to engage Her in ''small talk'', The Girl only stared – saying nothing. When the bottle were filled, She gave him two pennies (all that She could obviously afford).

The Store Owner worried after the Girl, thinking that Milk was all that She could feed Her Child or family. He began to ask all around for which Camp She might live in (wishing to take Her more food). No one seemed to know Her. One day, The Store Owner filled Her bottles and waited for Her to leave. He went out the back of His Store and began to follow Her. Through Town and into an open field and finally into a stand of trees. Coming out of the small forest, The Owner could not find Her – finding only a makeshift Cemetery of rude cut wooden crosses. ''Where Could she Have Gone?'' He wondered.

Suddenly, He heard a faint muffled cry coming from the ground beneath His feet. The Owner had accidentally stumbled upon a fresh dug grave. The cry seemed to come from there! He began to dig with His hands a few inches, only to find the lid of a Coffin. He pried open the coffin to find the same Girl that had been coming into His Store for weeks – quite dead. In Her arms was a baby – crying. Next to the Child – two empty bottles of Milk. Rescuing The Child, He went to The Police. Soon, the story would ''flesh out'' (as it were).

The Police found out that the Girl was part of a Vagrant Camp and was a Single Mother. Several dozen of the displaced had died several weeks earlier of a disease that swept The Camp – including The Girl and (so it was thought) – The Baby. She and the Child was buried. However, the Child (it surmised) was NOT in fact dead. Doctors said that while the Child was undernourished – it had survived on a diet of Milk!

Perhaps The Girl's Spirit knew this and made Her ''daily trips'' to The Store for ''food'' – hoping someone ''curious enough'' would follow Her. As I said, it is simply a ''Story''......................