The Moonlight Dancer

By S, Dixon, age 16

In November of 1895, Elizabeth Hamilton was a young girl studying dance in her hometown of Snellville, Georgia. Elizabeth's mother, Cynthia, had encouraged her daughter to learn the art of ballroom dancing years earlier with the hope she may eventually develop into an elegant woman or at least be inspired to take up more ladylike hobbies such as needlework. But Elizabeth was not in the least bit interested in being "a lady" - her opinion of a nice evening included roughhousing, not playing house like other girls her age.

Cynthia's husband, John Hamilton, did not agree with his wife's view on the proper way to raise a child. Although he was merely Elizabeth's step-father, John was very opinionated about everything regarding Elizabeth, more so than most birth mothers of their own children. John did not want Elizabeth spending several hours a day dancing, something she did not enjoy. He would often attempt to persuade his wife Cynthia to allow Elizabeth to quit her ballroom lessons, but Cynthia could not be swayed from her beliefs so easily.

Furious with frustration, John did something he would've never dreamed of under other circumstances. He and Cynthia were having an intensely heated argument once again over the situation of Elizabeth's dancing when he simply went mad and impulsively struck his wife over the head a hammer. Cynthia collapsed onto the floor, nearly unconscious. Not only did the blow not produce the regret, sympathy or guilt it probably should have, but it actually gave John a satisfying sensation inside. In this moment, he had transitioned over into the dark side, never to return. John continued to beat his wife mercifully with no thought of cause and effect.

Just then, Elizabeth came home from her dancing class to find the scene. Terribly shocked, confused, and horrified, Elizabeth released a hair-raising scream at the sight of her step-father standing over her mother's body. By now, John had realized Cynthia was dead. He was a first-time murderer, but had enough common sense to know a witness would probably be the end of life as he knew it. John felt he must dispose of Elizabeth as well. He charged at Elizabeth full speed. John lifted the hammer above Elizabeth and brought it down fast, but she managed to dodge his swings. A swing and a miss. Duck here, duck there. Elizabeth's success only further enraged her step-father, causing him to throw the weapon at her and knock her down. Once on the ground, John had Elizabeth beaten. He ended her life, too.

Elizabeth Hamilton never recovered from her murder. From the afterlife, she was filled with hateful feelings for John. Because of this, Elizabeth had no desire to move on to Heaven or Hell. She preferred to remain on earth, even if she could no longer be among the living.

Some have reported sightings of a young female ghost and believe it to be Elizabeth, ironically ballroom dancing solo on the site of her early death in Snellville.