This story is adapted from Vida Miller's A Little Book about Pawleys Island:

"The question has never been, "What is he?" We know he is a kindly, wandering spirit, dressed in a gray uniform or clothing, who appears on our beach to warn of impending danger, usually a hurricane, and those fortunate enough to see him are spared the ravages of the storm. That he exists is an accepted fact. There are questions about who he was and variations in the stories of his departure from the world of the living to that of a beach-combing, caring ghost.

He was a dashing young man who had been separated from his beautiful, beloved fiance for months, maybe years, while traveling abroad. When he returned his lady-love was with her family at their summer home on the island. Accompanied by a friend, or servant, or raced recklessly across the marsh, hurrying to her eager embrace. Whether he turned aside for a shortcut and was swallowed by quicksand, or his horse stumbled and he was thrown and died of a broken neck, we will never know.

Shortly after his death, the grieving girl saw him on the beach and he seemed to be warning her to leave. Her family, thinking her mind to be affected by sorrow, took her away and within hours the great storm of 1822 completely destroyed the area where their house stood.

Within this century, the Gray Man has been seen by a number of island residents and visitors. He appears just before a storm and strangely, those blessed by the appearance of this kindly apparition tell of property that is unscathed while all around there is destruction. Some have returned to their beach homes to find towels and beachwear still draped on the porch. A child has been known to inquire as to the identity of the kind and gentle man dressed in gray who comforted her in the darkness of a stormy night while vacationing on the island.

It's true we aren't sure who the Gray Man was in the flash, but we cherish his gentle presence and covet his protection."

...Have you ever seen the Gray Man?