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(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.) Night has fallen, and the moon is a

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glowing golden orb in the black sky.

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See how it shines on the dark back

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roads of America, and on one road in

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particular. Come with us, and we'll take a walk

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down the moonlit road, for the night is

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waiting. And the moon is full.

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Deep in the hot steamy backwoods of Lost

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Creek, Louisiana, there once lived two young boys

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named Tom and Clay. They were the best of friends.

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So much so that they each made a

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solemn promise to be the best man at

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the other's wedding when they grew up. They cut open the palms of their hands

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with their hunting knives and shook hands on

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it, sealing their promise in blood.

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As they got older, the two friends became

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very different men. Tom was a soft-spoken, humble fellow who

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was quite content working his family's small livestock

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ranch. But Clay was a hothead who frequented the

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local taverns most every night.

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That temper of yours is going to get you in trouble one day, Tom constantly warned

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his friend. And sure enough, his warning came true.

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Clay got in a barroom brawl one night

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over a gambling debt and was promptly shot

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dead. Tom spent many months grieving for Clay and

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visited his grave each week at a tiny

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local cemetery a few miles on the outside

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of town. But Tom knew he eventually had to get

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on with his life, so he did.

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A year later, he met a young woman named Isabel, whose family had just moved into

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the area. After a six-month courtship, the two decided

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to get married. It was then that Tom remembered the promise

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he'd made to Clay when they were kids.

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Since Clay was dead, he obviously couldn't be

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the best man. But Tom felt he should show some respect

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for their friendship and at least ask him,

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no matter if he was alive or dead.

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Besides, Tom was a kind of a superstitious

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fellow. And he figured with a temper like Clay

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had, he just might come back as a

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ghost and make his life miserable if he

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didn't. So one night, Tom walked the long, dusty

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road to Lost Creek Cemetery, lantern in hand.

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He opened up the rusty cemetery gate with

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a loud creak. He walked past the crumbling tombstones to Clay's

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barren grave. He took a deep breath and told Clay

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about his wedding plans. Remember that promise we made when we were

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kids? Tom asked. Well, it'd be great if you could be

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my best man, but since you're dead and

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all... Before Tom could finish this sentence, he felt

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the ground start to shake beneath his feet.

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It got louder and louder, and lightning crashed

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across the sky. A giant sinkhole opened up where Clay's grave

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used to be. Then Tom's blood ran cold when he saw

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Clay's corpse rise slowly up out of the

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earth. A big grin on his face, looking no

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different than the day they'd buried him. By the time you came around here and

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asked me, Clay said, I thought you'd never

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make it. Tom could barely speak.

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But you've been dead all this time.

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How come you don't look any different? They don't let folks in heaven who've made

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promises they don't keep, Clay answered.

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So I've been lying here this whole time,

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and I'd be much obliged if you'd let me keep my promise...

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and be the best man at your wedding. Well, Tom figured he had no choice but

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to help his friend out, so he brought

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him back to town. Needless to say, the townspeople were quite scared

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when Clay, who they'd just put in the

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ground not more than a year ago, came

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back looking no worse for wear. But once they saw he was the same

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old Clay, they gradually started to accept him

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again, even if he was dead.

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Tom's wedding day finally came, and there was

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quite a party at the local dance hall afterwards.

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Local fiddlers kept the guests dancing until the

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wee hours of the morning. Much beer and Cajun sausage was consumed by

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all. And as the party wound down, and Tom

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enjoyed another slow waltz with his new bride,

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he felt Clay tap him on the shoulder.

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It's time for me to go, said Clay.

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Could you walk me back to the graveyard? That way we can say goodbye, for good

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this time. Tom noticed that Clay had a new look

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on his face. A peaceful, content look he'd never seen before.

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Tom looked at his bride, who nodded her

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approval with a smile and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

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I'll be right back, I promise, Tom said

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to Isabel. Tom walked with Clay down the cemetery road.

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They walked in silence most of the time,

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Clay looking up at the bright stars with a grin on his face.

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When they reached that rusted cemetery gate, Clay

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opened it wide with a loud creak.

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But this time, there weren't any old, crumbling

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tombstones on the other side. Instead, Tom's jaw dropped as he saw a

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sparkling, gold path leading to a beautiful forest

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of multicolored fruit trees.

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Songbirds sang the most beautiful songs Tom had

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ever heard. Is this heaven? Tom asked his friend.

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Must be, Clay answered, but you can't go

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there. It ain't your time. Besides, you have a new bride waiting for

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you back in town. Tom knew he had to get back, but

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he couldn't tear his eyes away from the beauty on the other side of the gate.

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Let me walk with you a bit, Tom said.

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I gotta see what it's like. I'll turn back in a few minutes, I

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swear. Well, Clay figured he owed his friend a

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favor, so he held the gate open for

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Tom to follow. And as they strolled through the beautiful forest,

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meadows, and beaches of heaven, Tom thought it

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was a thousand times more beautiful than the

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local preacher had said it would be.

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Tears streamed from his eyes at the beauty

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of the place. It was then that Tom looked at his

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watch. He was shocked to see that hours had

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passed since he left Isabelle back at the

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dance hall. It had only seemed like a few minutes.

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He desperately wanted to keep walking, but with

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every ounce of willpower he had, he tapped

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Clay on the shoulder and told him it

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was time for him to go. All right then, said Clay with a smile.

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Maybe I'll see you again one day. And with those words, the glorious world around

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them vanished, and Tom found himself back in

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the dark cemetery. He couldn't wait to get back to town

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and tell Isabelle what awaited them on the

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other side. But as he walked through the graveyard, he

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noticed that something was strange. The tiny old cemetery was now filled with

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new graves, huge monuments, and mausoleums.

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Tom ran down the long cemetery road back

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towards town, but stumbled across a strange city

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he'd never seen before. Large buildings of glass and steel towered overhead.

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The townspeople were dressed in odd garments, staring

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at Tom like he was some sort of strange creature.

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Tom figured he was disoriented and must have

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taken the wrong road back home.

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Where am I? he asked the passersby.

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You're in Lost Creek, they answered with a

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chuckle. What's wrong? You drunk or something?

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Tom started to get scared. He asked around for Isabelle, but no one

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had heard of her. He tried to find the dance hall, and

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no one had heard of it. He went to every church he could find,

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banging on the door to find his pastor.

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But he was nowhere to be found. Finally, a sympathetic elderly pastor let Tom into

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his office. Tom frantically told him the story of his

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wedding and how he walked his friend Clay

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back to the graveyard. Now he couldn't find Isabelle or the pastor

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who had married them. The old man laughed and shook his head.

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Come on, son. It isn't Halloween yet.

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Besides, I've heard that old ghost story a

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million times. What are you talking about?

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said Tom. The pastor lit his pipe, then told Tom

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the old tale of the bridegroom who disappeared

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on his wedding night. It was said that the bridegroom walked back

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to the cemetery with his dead friend and

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was never seen again. The bride was so grief-stricken that she

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fell ill and died. That's not possible!

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Tom blurted out. The pastor sighed and grabbed a large dusty

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book from the top of his bookshelf.

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He flipped back the yellowing pages and said,

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I'm not saying it's a true story, but

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I happen to have the old church records from back then.

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He found a wedding ledger and pointed out

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two names to Tom. See, here they are, married 150 years ago

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this night. Tom looked where he was pointing and froze.

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The names were his and Isabelle's.

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So like clay before him, poor old Tom

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had made a promise he didn't keep. For Tom promised he'd be back for his

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bride and never returned. But Tom never believed he'd really been away

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for 150 years. In fact, they say that Tom's ghost still

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haunts the old section of the cemetery in

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Lost Creek, Louisiana, stranded outside the gates of

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heaven. And if you should go there and hear

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him ask you to help find his bride,

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turn around and walk away, because you might

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not ever come back. That concludes this tale from The Moonlit Road.

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Be sure to visit our website at themoonlitroad

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.com to find out more about our stories

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and let us know how we're doing. The Moonlit Road is produced and directed by

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Craig Dominey, recorded and soundscaped by Henry Howard

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in beautiful Stone Mountain, Georgia.

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Thanks for listening, and we'll see you next