By Nicole June

INDIAN MOUND, Tenn. – Do you believe in ghosts? After reading the tale written by this Tennessee author, you might just be convinced.

F.J. Thomas has recently published “Winds on Indian Mound”, her latest short story.

The fictional yarn draws inspiration from a ghostly encounter Thomas had 25 years ago while trail-riding in Indian Mound, just a few miles from Clarksville.

Shortly after high school Thomas began boarding her horse on a piece of land in the Indian Mound area. She spent many hours exploring the backwoods trails and became quite familiar with the place.

Occasionally she would notice a slight temperature change when crossing the fence line to enter the bordering property, but she had never thought much of it until the night a strange apparition gave her the fright of a lifetime.

Thomas was riding later at night than usual on the trails she knew so well, when her mare came to an abrupt halt. She figured the horse was spooked but was unsure what it was looking at until she noticed a strange metallic flash through the trees.

She and her horse continued on, but a feeling of unease stuck with her, as though she had been followed. She turned and saw a light-colored object behind her in the tree line, about the same height as she was on the horse.

“That really spooked me at that point,” Thomas said. “It just felt wrong. It was one of those strong, strong feelings and I didn’t know what I was looking at.”

The horse galloped quickly back to the barn, and as they made their escape Thomas said she could hear sounds of pursuit. The wind picked up significantly despite the clear night sky overhead.

Throughout the years that followed, Thomas moved to East Tennessee and witnessed what she believes were a few other paranormal oddities, but none so terrifying as the one in Indian Mound.

“It’s just one of those things that you never get over. It’s too real,” she said.

The scare inspired her to research the Native American history of the area, which according to Thomas involves a number of burial grounds supposedly hidden beneath the landscape.

Though the story she has penned is fictional, it draws on her experiences and discoveries, as well as a number of people she has met.

“There’s a lot of truth in what I write. And that’s just my writing style,” Thomas said.

So, are there ghosts in Indian Mound? You’ll have to read the book to find out.

“Winds on Indian Mound” is available for purchase on Amazon. You can learn more about F.J. Thomas and her work on her personal website.