My name is Annabelle, but call me Annie.

I was here when the Quarter was dark.  The nights were dark and scary unless you had a lamp or a candle.  I usually had a candle so I was not afraid.  Life wasn’t so bad.  I didn’t expect much and I liked it when they said I was pretty.  I had bright red hair and white skin- a ghost on fire men called me and they laughed.  They could see my body in the dark.  The men joked I was easy to find.

One night you could see without a candle. The entire Quarter was lit up with flames.  The men ran and left me behind. I had been sick a long time and I was too weak to run. I had some laudanum and I took it all so it wouldn’t hurt to burn and I went to sleep.  Death wasn’t so bad. When I woke up I was still here but they could no longer see me in the dark unless I wanted them to. Occasionally, I walk the streets at night and men out looking for trouble find me instead. They reach out to grab me when I pass but their hands touch nothing. It’s then they notice my bright red hair and skin so white you can see right through it. I watch their eyes grow wide with terror before they scream, “A ghost on fire!”  Being a ghost isn’t so bad. Who’s laughing now?