The Lover's Ghost

The Lover's Ghost is a ballad from the Fansus timeline. The author is unknown.

Description

An unusual version of a tragic ballad. This version has never been known to be performed, and is typically unheard of outside of certain aficionados for musical history.

Study Text Start

The ballad starts similarly to the typical version. After the cock crows before dawn, and the woman takes the moonlight for dawn, she sends her lover away. He goes, and meets a ghost on his way back. The ghost bars him from passing further, explaining that the deal he made is completed, and he must return to the realm of the dead.

Study Start Finish

After cajoling and pleading with the apparition, he is forced to acquiesce when the ghost reminds him that he did not specify the terms of what he traded for the privilege of his visit. After he leaves on a “web of moonlight,” the ghost reveals herself to be his web-shrouded lover, and follows him to the moon.