The Spook Light

There is an unexplained phenomenon in our area referred to by locals simply as "Spook Light" (Hornet Spook Light, Joplin Spook Light). If you live in the four state area of KS, MO, OK and AR, you've probably heard of it, or spent an evening sitting in the country, hoping to see it. For years, teenagers have gone out there, especially on Halloween, to scare themselves silly (among other things) and come back telling their slightly embellished, dramatic tales of how the light came right up to them or chased them, or some such load of frap. Even though there are plenty of tall tales attached to it, it is a real thing- not just folklore. No one knows what it is, but plenty of people have seen it. We think we saw it once, but we were not in the usual area where it's found, so we can't be sure. Since that night, I've always hoped to see it again and know for sure I'd really seen it.

There have been experts of all kinds that have come out to study this thing, and it was even featured once on that old show, "Unsolved Mysteries." Basically, it's a light with no apparent, explainable source, that appears out of nowhere then hovers and bounces, advancing and receding, sometimes splitting into two or three, along a dark country road. It randomly appears and disappears with no rhyme or reason. Of course, everyone has their own explanations of what it really is- some are solid-sounding scientific ones, and some that are just plain goofy- ghost stories, space ships, etc. In addition to the links above, you can get more specific information about Spook Light and read some of the folklore surrounding it by clicking here, here, here, or see a few pics here. It's also briefly mentioned here on Wiki, if you're really into this kind of stuff.

Anyhoo... The other night, out of boredom, Darrell and Evan headed out to see if they could spot it. I didn't stay up waiting for them- the little ones and I went to bed. The next morning, before he walked out the door, Darrell told me to be sure to look at the video Evan took of it on his phone. I was pretty surprised they'd actually seen it, and was kind of excited to see his video of this thing I've been curious about since we moved here 16 yrs. ago.

Let me tell you, the video was amazing! It was similar to other videos I've seen around here or on TV or YouTube, but better- because it was taken by my son. My own kid had gotten that close. Awesome! The light was all over the place, bouncing, swirling, and came up very close to the camera. Ev said it was right there in front of their faces. WOW! I was in awe and a little jealous that they had seen such a cool display without me. Evan told me how awesome it was, and pointed out that you can even hear Darrell locking the door to the truck at the beginning of the video because it was so scary. Well, that was all I needed to hear. If it made Darrell lock the doors, it must have been pretty freaky. I had to see it.

I called Darrell to ask if we could go out there for our date night instead of our original plan of going to a movie. While most men would probably be thrilled if a woman asked to drive out to a dark country road for a date, Darrell acted kind of funny. That's when I found out just how gullible I really am. I'm usually pretty cynical and distrusting. I'm not easily convinced of things like this, but unfortunately it didn't occur to me to be suspicious of my own son and husband. I'll know better next time. The LIARS! Darrell confessed their video was fake. It's just a light on his truck and they swirled the phone around, zooming in and out. It looks pretty darn believable.

Ev did an excellent job pulling off the lie, which scares me quite a bit. Not only did I totally believe him, but he continued to LET me totally believe him. He didn't even want to come clean after I told him I knew the truth.

It's official, I am The Stupidest Woman On Earth. And the mother of a future used car salesman. Do I at least get some kind of prize?