The Black Dog of Kwaadmechelen

A group of friends went out one Sunday evening in Kwaadmechelen. When they ended up in a tavern, they began mockingly acting out the holy mass. They took bread as a host and beer as wine, and the biggest joker of the group played the priest.

Suddenly there came a knock at the door. A large black dog entered and lay down under the table. No one knew where the beast had come from. The dog refused to leave the tavern, no matter how much they called and pushed.

Because the dog would not leave the tavern, they sent for the parish priest of Kwaadmechelen. After long prayers and sprinkling holy water, the black dog finally went outside. The young men were relieved, but the misery was far from over.

Some time later, the joker who had played the priest in the tavern had to fetch the midwife for his pregnant wife. Along the way, the man was pelted with stones that came from nowhere.

When complications arose during the birth, the men had to fetch a doctor from Tessenderlo. Near the Folderke in Genendijk they encountered four headless figures standing in the middle of the road. The men fled in mortal terror.

When the doctor finally reached the pregnant woman, they were hindered by all manner of strange apparitions. The woman’s child was born dead. The people of Kwaadmechelen were certain that this was punishment for mocking the holy mass in the tavern.