Haunted Rodrigues island

In the olden days ghosts used to be prolific on the island of Rodrigues. Being a skeptic, I asked the older generation why is it that there aren't as many ghost sightings in modern times. The answer is, "people don't walk around at night as much now due to cars, motorcycles and buses". Here are some classic Rodriguan ghost stories, some told first hand others told second hand.



THE FLOATING GHOST: The young man was walking home from Grand Baie to L'Anse Aux Anglais one night after visiting his girlfriend. It was very late and he was alone (or so he thought). As he approached Caverne Provert he felt a presence behind him. Turning around he saw a man following him. Nothing really strange about that, apart from the fact that the man was floating off the ground. A cold chill ran down his spine and he stopped walking, the ghostly apparition also stopped. He continued walking and the apparition started following him again, floating off the ground. Every time he stopped the apparition would also stop. Terrified, the young man knocked on the door of a relative. An elderly lady answered the door. The young man asked if he could sleep at her house because a ghost was following him and there was no way he was going to make it to his house in L'Anse Aux Anglais. She agreed that he could stay overnight even though she thought, "what a strange story". A strange story indeed until she looked out of her window and spotted the ghostly apparition floating under her tamarind tree!

THE GHOST TEACHER: The young servant girl had only recently started working at this home in Creve Coeur. She had just finished washing some clothes and walked off to place them to dry on some shrubs (no dryers or clothes lines in those days). She happened to glance at the house next door and saw something strange. The lady next door, was sitting outside her home and appeared to be teaching some children. Only problem was, there were no children except she behaved in as if there was! Thinking the lady next door had gone crazy she reported it to her employee. "Have you gone mad, the lady in the house next door died overnight and is lying in state in her home", stated her employee. The employee took the servant girl to the home next door and there, lying in state, was the lady she just saw minutes ago that appeared to be teaching "invisible" children. The servant girl got the shock of her life when the employee stated that the lady that died was a school teacher!

PERE GANDY AND THE JEEP: Pere Gandy was a famous Catholic priest who ministered on Rodrigues Island years ago. The Reine de Rodrigues Virgin Mary statue was erected by Pere Gandy in the mid 1950s. He also has a road named in his honour in Port Mathurin. He was, and still is, a respected historical figure. He told the following strange story of what happened to him one night on the island. Pere Gandy was walking home one night on the island when he saw a jeep's headlights approaching in the distance. The jeep stopped and the driver offered to drive Pere Gandy home. Pere Gandy got in, said "merci" (thankyou in English) and the jeep drove off. Without warning, a few miles further down the road, Pere Gandy found himself standing on the road without ever getting out of the car. The car and driver had mysteriously disappeared! This story sounds strangely like the vanishing hitchhiker ghost story except in this instance it's the car and driver that disappears not the hitchhiker. Not sure what to make of this spooky story when one considers it was told by a priest.

THE ROAD FROM PORT MATHURIN TO L'ANSE AUX ANGLAIS: This is (maybe I should say "was") probably the most haunted road on the Island so the story goes. One spot in particular makes the hairs of people stand up. This spot is located just after the big sattelite dish and before L'Anse Aux Anglais cemetery (the spot where those black boulders lie on the beach). Apparently heaps of people have seen ghosts in this spot. My dad told me that every time he would walk past this spot the hairs on the back of his neck would stand up and he would feel this chill go down his spine. He didn't see any ghosts at this spot but there was always this "weirdness" associated with this spot. Another spot of hauntings is located near a huge tamarind tree in L'Anse Aux Anglais. Not sure if the tree is still there but I'll try and explain the exact location. Heading towards L'Anse Aux Anglais, just after passing the cemetery and just before crossing the bridge the tree is located to the right. There have been numerous sightings of ghosts at this location. A relative told me a strange story related to this tree. One night he was heading home after a day of fishing. When he reached the tree he could see the lights of his house in the distance. Now the "weirdness" starts. Every time he would head towards the light he would not get closer to this house and he always ended up standing next to the tree. I failed to ask him how he eventually got home.