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ROMANCE BEYOND THE GRAVE

© Lynne Remick

Romance has survived through the centuries in many forms-- legends, lore, literature, fable, fiction, cinema, stage and even ghost stories. The appearance of romance in supernatural tales supports society's need for love stories to provide hope when dealing with the unknown, being alone and life beyond the grave.

In honor of Halloween, I wanted to resurrect a romantic tale from the realm of the spirit world. I have chosen one of my own favorites, an eerie anecdote shared with me while I was soaking up culture and ghost stories in Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. I was searching for the location of three graves of persons who were lost on the Titanic. Instead I found a talkative waiter, and this :

A popular actor from Prince Edward Island fell out of love with his wife and in love with his leading lady. Although he was indebted to his wife for giving him a family and caring for his children, he was so lovestruck by the charms of his lover that he could not bear to be apart from her.

Disgusted by her husband's tasteless behavior, the wife picked up and moved her family to Galveston, Texas, leaving her husband and embarrassment behind in Prince Edward Island.

The years passed, and the wife refused to grant her husband a final decree of divorce. Although unable to marry his lady, the actor stayed by her, vowing to stay with her beyond death.

Unexpectedly one day, the man passed away in the arms of his beloved. Sadly, since the man and his wife had not divorced, she had sole authority over the disposition of his remains.

As a result of the ridicule she had suffered at her husband's hands, revenge reigned heavily on the wife's actions. Instead of having him buried on the island where he had grown up and loved, she had his casket shipped to Galveston, Texas, far, far away from his mortal sweetheart.

Being so far away from that which he loved caused the man's spirit unrest and turmoil. Shortly after the burial, a huge storm blew up onto the Galveston coast and ripped up the land in the cemetery where the man was buried. The coffin was unearthed, and carried away with the gulf stream.

Several weeks later, the coffin turned up on the shores of PEI, just miles away from the home of the man's lover. It was found by a local fisherman, who knew of the man. The coffin was then relocated to Prince Edward Island, where the man's spirit patiently waited for his true love to join him in eternity.