Somewhere in the back of my grandmother’s house just outside Ibanda town, is a pathway that leads you deep into a banana plantation, with small graveyards along the way and lone cows every couple of steps.

At least that’s what I remember seeing, that one and only time when I was about 8-years-old, and my mum finally let us walk down that path so we could see how people in the countryside lived.

For my sisters, cousins and I who lived in the city, and were visiting my grandparents for Christmas, it was an exciting adventure. It was like a Walk in the Forbidden Woods, Follow The Yellow Brick Road, Harry Potter at Hogwarts all-in-one extravaganza. We went knowing well to record vivid images to memory as there was a good chance we would never be allowed to walk down that path again.

Oh the stories we’ve heard about this little road. From Lewo, the village night-dancer and his witchcraft mischief, to the unexplained laughter and conversations deep in the night, said to be the presence of the mystic Bachwezi tribe, and the most recent one, the tale of the flying coffin.

My dear Americans, Africans are known to sit around fires at night and make shit up, outta no where. So unless you find this deeply entertaining, I suggest you just scroll down to the pictures because these stories are not for the faint hearted.

Apparently Mudiima, my 17-year-old cousin that stays with my grandma, says he saw it. He described it as a flying coffin with two headlights, at the front, that take the shape of a cat’s eyes.

Meanwhile, his mother was seated beside him, supporting every word he said, saying he really saw it.

Mudiima says, while he was relieving himself in the restroom, he saw the flying coffin glide by. He stopped and remained dead-silent until the coffin went past, deep into the plantations, to which this path goes. For the record, this is a much less dramatic version of the way he narrated the story. He acted out the entire thing, even how he hid…smh. 

Every story I have heard of this path has been associated with some mystic horror. To this day, where you see me standing in the pictures, is usually as far as I go. Not that I’m afraid. However, would I go down that road anytime after sunset…Fuck no!!!

The flirty Hi-low dress from Bar III (purchased at Macys) is a perfect number for lovers of black in sunny weather. It can be dressed up or down depending on what shoes and accessories you choose.

Dress: Bar III at Macy’s

Bag: Badgley Mischka

Wishing you the very best Christmas, Buba.