No One Here But Me and You
(As was told by late George Vicaire to late Manny Metallic)
For a long time, past to the present, we have lived on Dundee Road. Usually I took a short cut to my Uncle Joe Labillois and my Aunt Clara Labillois’. Usually it was more fun for young people, because there were more things to do there. We would help harvest the hay. We would have so much fun. We would go up into the woods and spend the night at the cabin that my Uncle built.
When you’re a young boy there’s not much you can do. Sometimes, you’d be told “You’re just in the way”. But, what I remember is, after supper I’d be sent to help my Uncle Bernard. After I dried the dishes and cleaned up a little. There was an Elder, George Vicaire who had a way of telling stories. We would all sit around him, waiting for a good tale. I remember this one story he used to tell:
Once, this Non-Native told about the depression during the 1930’s. There were many people roaming around called “Tramps” because there was no work anywhere to make a living. One very dark and cold night this tramp saw an old house. He went there to find lodging and warmth. There was no where else to go but there. When he got there the house had been abandoned. The windows were broken and there was hardly a door. He wandered around in the dark and finally found a place to sit. First he said “I’ll smoke”. He filled his pipe with tobacco and relaxed. Then he began to unlace his shoes. As he was removing his first shoe, he heard someone moving around upstairs. Just when he was removing his second shoe, he heard someone speak in a ghostly voice saying, “There is no one here but me and you”.
He got frightened and his hair felt tingly and rising. Just as he was lacing his shoes back on is when he heard the movement and again the voice, “No one here but me and you”.
He replied “Yeah, just you wait ‘til I get my shoes on buddy, you’ll be the only one left”.