Black Flames in the Sand

As per Clarence John Laughlin, "Made beneath the tremendous brick arches on the west side of the house - this will give some idea of the height of Belle Grove above the earth (unlike any other Louisiana plantation house, in this respect) and the thickness of the massive arches supporting the side veranda and walls. This space beneath the house was originally used for the storage of wine. Risen before us, an apparition of disaster appears (or an apparition of Fate). Its head has become a piece of burnt cypress wood - its features strange and horribly eerie in the consummation of flame. And a symbol of the tragic fate which had ultimately overtaken the house.