The Green Ribbon
| Category: | Ghost Stories |
|---|---|
| Props: | a green ribbon (optional prop, tied around the storyteller's neck) |
| Notes: | A quieter, creepier story best saved for older Scouts. It builds slowly over years instead of one scary night, so keep the pace calm and matter-of-fact right up until the last line - don't rush the ending, let it land in silence. |
There was once a girl named Jenny who wore a green ribbon tied around her neck. She wore it every single day - to school, to parties, to bed at night. Nobody could remember a day they'd seen her without it.
Everyone asked her about it at one time or another. "Jenny, why do you always wear that ribbon?" And every time, she gave the same answer: "I'll tell you when the time is right. Not before."
Years passed. Jenny grew up, and a young man she'd known since childhood fell in love with her, and asked her to marry him. She said yes, on one condition - that he never ask her about the green ribbon. He agreed, and for years after they were married, he kept his promise, even though he thought about it often.
They grew old together, and one day, Jenny fell very ill. As she lay in bed, weaker every day, she finally called her husband to her side.
"The time is right," she said softly. "You may untie my ribbon now."
His hands trembled as he reached up and, at long last, loosened the little knot at the back of her neck, and let the green ribbon fall away.
And Jenny's head fell off.