Halloween Haunts: The Ghost with One Bloody Finger by Naching T. Kassa

When I was a kid in the 1980s, long before the advent of R. L. Stine’s Goosebumps, my friends and family told scary stories with a funny twist. Some were rather dirty like, “The Ghost in the Walls,” while others were clean and spooky like, “The Man with the Golden Arm” and “The Ghost with the Ruby, Ruby Lips.” The story I’d like to share with you today, has become a Halloween tradition in my family. I’ve even told it to my son’s class during Halloween parties at his school. It’s called, “The Ghost with One Bloody Finger.”

THE GHOST WITH ONE BLOODY FINGER

One day, after a hard day at work, Liza Atterbury returned to her little house on Elm Street and began to fix dinner. She had just taken a nice head of lettuce from the refrigerator when her phone rang.

Ring-a-ling-a-ling! Ring-a-ling-a-ling!

Liza quickly answered it. “Hello?”

“I am the Ghost with One Bloody Finger. And I am two blocks away from your house.”

The line went dead.

Liza thought it was just a prank call. Some stupid joke from one of the kids in town. She set her phone back on the counter and continued making dinner.

After dinner, Liza decided to go upstairs and take a bath. She had just filled the tub with water when her phone rang again.

Ring-a-ling-a-ling! Ring-a-ling-a-ling!

She answered it, and once again, the strange voice filled her ear.

“I am the Ghost with One Bloody Finger. And I am one block away from your house.”

Liza ended the call. It had unnerved her a little, but she didn’t let it keep her from enjoying her bath.

After Liza let the water out of the tub and dressed, she got into bed. She was perusing a magazine when the phone rang again.

Ring-a-ling-aling! Ring-a-ling-a-ling!

This time, she didn’t answer it. Unfortunately, it kept ringing and ringing, until she could take it no more. She picked up the phone and answered it.

“H-Hello?”

“I am the Ghost with One Bloody Finger. And I am at your door.”

The front door banged open then and something entered. She could hear its footsteps as it mounted the stairs and approached her bedroom door. She threw a sheet over her head as the door opened.

Creeeaaaaak.

Heavy footsteps crossed the floor.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

They stopped at the side of the bed, and suddenly, something tore the sheet away from her. The horrible ghost thrust its bloody finger toward her and said,

“Do you have a Band-Aid?”

I’ve updated this story a little. In the 80s, the phone was an old-fashioned landline instead of a cell phone, but I did keep the sound. I’ve also given Liza a name. The kids in my class usually called her “the woman.”

I’m not sure where the story came from. It’s a variation on “The Man with the Golden Arm,” only not as scary. Among the third graders of 1984, it was very popular. Though, now, I wonder if I’m the only one who remembers it.

I hope you enjoyed it and that you’ll share it with your own kids. Maybe, you too can start a new tradition.

Just make sure you keep a supply of Band-Aids under your bed.

Naching T. Kassa is a wife, mother, and horror writer. She serves as an assistant at Crystal Lake Publishing and is a proud member of the Horror Writers Association, Mystery Writers of America, and several Sherlock Holmes scions. You can find her work on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Naching-T-Kassa/e/B005ZGHTI0