Ashley Memory
Memoir
My “Haunted” Lamp: Murder, Mystery, and Remodeling
written by Ashley Memory
This story is the saga behind an elegant lamp Ashley Memory and her husband purchased for $15 at a secondhand store. It seemed to be the ideal addition to their new home until an investigation into the mysterious engraving on its base revealed a macabre history. As she discovered grisly details about the lamp’s previous owner, her home life became agitated, and she began to wonder… Could the lamp be haunted?
© 2022 Ashley Memory | Recording © 2022 Rivercliff Books & Media. All rights reserved.
Read by Julie Niblett
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Q&A with Ashley
Tell us about your story...
When people fall in love, they tend to idealize not only their mate but also a starry-eyed version of themselves. My Haunted Lamp is a story about compromise and change.
What was the inspiration for this story?
My husband J.P. and I bought an elegant lamp for $15 at a secondhand store. It appeared to be the ideal addition to our new house until an investigation into a mysterious engraving revealed its macabre past. The lamp’s presence kindled an obsession with the tragedy, and the more I discovered about its previous owner, the more I questioned my assumptions about appearances, ambition, and happiness.
What are you most looking forward to, post pandemic?
Potlucks at my church! I’ve missed them so much, both the casseroles and the fellowship.
What have you read recently that you enjoyed?
“Annunciation” by Lauren Groff in The New Yorker (February 14 & 21, 2022 issue). Another spooky story that I can’t get out of my mind.
Do you have any guilty pleasures?
Chocolate-covered cherries. When I eat one, I have to do it alone. First, so that no one will see me licking my fingers, and second, so that I can fully surrender to the bliss.
Coffee or tea? Whiskey or Wine?
Tea, every day of the week. And wine, but not to drink, as it gives me a headache, unfortunately. However, I love the essence it leaves behind when I deglaze my pan with it while making a sauce for a chicken dish, for example.
Tomorrow, I absolutely refuse to…
…give up on another essay I’m working on. I am determined to finish it. So there!
Anything else you’d like to share?
Yes, a funny story. To save money, my husband and I are building own house, and five years later, we’re still at it. The other day we realized just why the bathroom floor is so slippery. We put wall tiles on the floor and floor tiles on the wall
If You Enjoyed This Episode…
give these a listen!
My “Haunted” Lamp: Murder, Mystery, and Remodeling
MEMOIR | ASHLEY MEMORY
A lamp purchased second hand seemed to be the ideal addition to her home until an investigation into the mysterious engraving on its base revealed a macabre history. As she discovered grisly details about the lamp’s previous owner, her home life became agitated, and she wondered… Could the lamp be haunted?
Long-Haired Disco Boys
MEMOIR | TERRY BARR
The 1970s in Birmingham, Alabama, was a time fraught with racial tension and confusing questions of identity. Author Terry Barr found the music of that era confusing, as well. Southern rock competed with Glam and Disco, and for a long-haired guy like Terry, finding his place, his sub-culture, and the accompanying music wasn’t easy.
Lightning Flowers
MEMOIR | SARAH K. LENZ
After Sarah Lenz’s father gives her a creepy antique photograph depicting her three great uncles who were struck and killed by the same bolt of lightning in 1914, she sets out to discover their story and figure out why postmortem photography haunts her. “Lightning Flowers” is a thoughtful and moving meditation on what it means to remember the dead and confront one’s own mortality.