by Sharon | Jul 21, 2018
Yeah . . . That box, sold at auction on eBay and was said to be haunted.
Wasn’t there a book and a film about that creepy old thing?
It’s a wine cabinet — a dybbuk box and also spelled “dibbux”. It’s said to be haunted by a dybbuk.
That makes sense for a dybbuk to live in a dybbuk box.
So . . . what’s the big deal?
This real ghost story begins with Kevin Mannis. In 2004, Mannis put The Dybbuk Box up for auction on eBay.
He’s a writer and at the time of the eBay auction owned a small antiques and furniture refinishing business in Portland, Oregon. In 2001, Mannis bought the Dybbuk Box at an estate sale. The box belonged to a Holocaust survivor of Polish decent by the name of Havela. She escaped to Spain prior to immigrating to the United States . . . bringing the box with her.
According to Mannis, Havela purposely sealed a dybbuk inside the box. Evidently she and her friends were performing a séance when a dybbuk contacted her.
Jewish folklore claims a dybbuk is a restless, malicious spirit believed to be able to haunt and even possess the living.
Now that we have some background on the dybbuk and his box . . . we return to Mannis. This is what he found when he opened the box:
- 2 pennies dated in the 1920’s
- a lock of blonde hair bound with a cord
- a lock of dark brown hair bound with a cord
- a small statue engraved with the Hebrew word “Shalom”
- one dried rose bud
- a single candle holder with four octopus-shaped legs
- a small golden wine goblet.
These items, according to Jewish folklore, are for exorcising demons.
That’s all fine and good . . . yet it appears the Dybbuk wasn’t exorcised. He was still in the box and when Mannis opened it . . .
He had horrible nightmares involving an old hag.
Even guests in Mannis’s home experienced these nightmares, too.
So, what did he do?
He gave the box to his mother. Oh good grief!!! And, the same day he gave her that stinky old Dybbuk Box she suffered a stroke. I said “stinky old Dybbuk Box” because it did have an aroma about it of a cross between cat urine and jasmine flowers.
The current owner of this Dybbuk Box is Jason Haxton, Director of the Museum of Osteopathic Medicine in Kirksville, Missouri.
Haxton had the winning bid at the eBay auction, thus buying the Dybbuk Box from Mannis.
Jason Haxton wrote The Dibbuk Box and published it in November of 2011. 
He developed some strange health problems including hives, coughing up blood and “head-to-toe welts”.
While he had the box in his office, light bulbs burst.
Haxton removed the box from the museum and locked it in the back of his truck. He parked it at his house and that night experienced the same nightmares of a hag-like woman as other previous owners.
He contacted Rabbis to seal the dybbuk back in the box after he and his son noticed a black mass shaped like a flame in the room with them.
Currently, Haxton has the freshly resealed Dybbuk Box hidden in an undisclosed location.
Reminds me of a Genie in a Bottle or Aladdin’s Lamp.
Just in case you come across a dybbuk box, this one has the Shema carved into the side of it and the box measures 12.5″ x 7.5″ x 16.25″
Although this tale creeps me out, I can say that it is an attractive box . . . one I could see myself buying in an estate sale . . . but in light of all this . . . I would have to take a pass. I don’t like inviting danger into my life unnecessarily.
Oh yes, one more point . . . This was quite popular up until 2014 . . . so why am I writing about it?
I know this particular Dybbuk Box is now sealed in an undisclosed location . . . but do you honestly believe that there is only one Dybbuk . . . or is it merely an urban legend . . . Maybe those owners got caught up in the hysteria of the legend . . .
Or . . . there are Dybbuk among us . . . hidden in some old antique cabinet . . . an armoire perhaps . . . or a lovely vase . . . just waiting . . . for . . . you . . . to discover it . . . and . . . set it free . . .
Thanks for stopping by!
Sharon
by Sharon | Jul 16, 2018
That’s what we want . . . or is it!
A great image of ectoplasmic goo that is transforming right before our very eyes into a human form.
I was over on Twitter the other day and a “person to follow” suggestion was a woman author with a menopausal character who sees ghosts. I find it an interesting concept, but didn’t catch her name nor the title of her book. I’m wondering if she’s a “ghost whisperer” or goes out ghost hunting . . . I can only image this woman in a retirement community in Florida with all these ghosts hanging around waiting for a turn to talk with this menopausal woman.
Or . . . perhaps it will be similar to Murder She Wrote where there were all these murders taking place in this little town . . . until Jessica had to move along and travel . . . It just got too suspicious to have murders taking place around one individual . . . I suppose we do attract our interests . . .
Well . . . that was an interesting detour . . . I hope you’ve had time to study the image above.
The center left image looks a bit like Jack Skellington from the Nightmare Before Christmas. It may be his stance and those long legs. It looks like he’s wearing a suit or tux. Does the head look like a skeleton’s head to you?
Then there’s the image on the left. I think it’s too big for Sally (keeping with the film theme). And what is approaching “Jack” from his left? It looks like a man wearing a hat. Are they shaking hands? The image on the left seems to be carrying a baby. Do you see them?
Is that a portal they’re standing in on the grass? Does that look like a circle to you?
Gazing at images and gazing through hours of video recordings is much like cloud watching or trying to see through the fog.
Why do it?
Just on the off chance that you capture something supernatural to show your family and friends and anyone else who cares to see. And, for no other reason than it amuses you. As it does me.
I remember as a child going outside and watching the fog roll in. Years later there was a movie called The Fog. Had I known that then . . . and what was in the fog . . .
Have you noticed when you’re quietly communing with nature, thinking of nothing in particular, just feeling at peace and so very calm is when you see something . . . something out of the corner of your eye?
My grandmother had this huge front porch where we would sit after dinner. The only problem was other neighbors did the same and there were people walking by who would stop to chat. Quiet contemplation would have to wait until everyone settled back into their homes or were content to be quiet on their porches.
I tried to be quiet so I wouldn’t be sent off to bed, but that would have been all right. I had the front upstairs bedroom with a lovely window seat where I could sit and watch out the window. There was the apparition of a man riding in a wagon like in Little House on the Prairie. I enjoyed hearing the clip-clop of the horse’s hoofs and the creaking of the wagon as it rolled down the street.
It’s times like that when I set up my camera on a tripod, turn it on and wait.
I don’t believe I have to go to a known “haunted” place to see what there is to see in the spirit world. I can do it from the comfort of my own patio. If I don’t see anything, maybe, just maybe the camera will pick something up.
And there is always activity going on in the front of my house as well . . . but don’t tell my neighbors . . . They pretty much ignore me . . . But . . . I know what I know . . .
It’s more difficult for me to go for a walk with camera in hand, but it’s not out of the question. Sometimes we have to go to the “ghosts.”
Ghost Hunting, in whatever form you choose is an enjoyable pastime. At the very least it would be nice to have an infrared camera for your night time picture taking and video recording. I also like one that I can use in the daytime. Not two cameras, but one that does both. Ghosts, in my experience, don’t only come out at night.
Here are a few examples:
I know, I’ve pretty much broken from my tradition of telling ghost stories and got all these random thoughts in the mix . . . but when one is looking for “ghosts” or unusual paranormal activity, one does need to clear one’s mind . . . or ramble on . . .
Kind of the spooky thing is . . . a ghost will pop up and make a comment about something I was thinking about . . . or I’ll get a thought in my head about something else — although related . . .
Which reminds me of a place in Alabama a friend of mine told me about . . .
I believe it was once a restaurant with a bar . . . The woman who owned it loved the paranormal and had more money than common sense . . . She collected items from known haunted places as well as from places where crimes took place.
I’m not talking about trinkets . . . I’m talking about the actual bar from a haunted tavern . . . An old teller’s station in a bank where a robbery took place back yonks ago . . . and, of course, people were killed . . .
This woman welcomed all kinds of odd things into her restaurant . . . along with any paranormal “ghosts, gouls or gobblins” that wanted to come along . . . and stay for awhile.
And, yes . . . there were ghost stories from the workers who had the opportunity to work there. One of them I really like . . .
Every night at around 10 PM, a man would walk in and sit at the bar . . . he would order whiskey and then disappear . . . The young man tending bar would swear the man was real . . . dressed a bit old fashioned, but real . . . He never paid for the drink . . . and he never drank it . . .
Of course, in this same restaurant, there was a basement with items the owner bought, but didn’t have a place to put them . . . well, except in the basement . . . There were always sounds coming from there . . . usually whispering and sometimes loud bangs . . . and many customers and work staff alike had seen ghostly apparitions running through the dining hall . . .
There was also a couple who would dance . . . a waltz . . . they were dressed to the nines, appropriate for their era . . . and dance the night away . . .
It was a lively place. Everyone was sad when the place closed its doors. A friend of mine and I would muse about buying it and reopening it . . . I think it had three stories . . . Initially, I thought I’d move there and live at the very tippy top of the building . . . but then I thought better of it . . . plus the woman had no interest in selling . . .
I thought, too, it would make a great museum and use all the space to display the whole collection of spooky stuff. I would enjoy archiving it and making a little booklet telling the tales from each artifact as well as the stories from those who saw ghosts, ghostly apparitions, heard sounds . . . or just got a creepy feeling.
Well, nothing came of this . . . but I still think about that place from time to time.
Thanks for stopping by!
Sharon
by Sharon | Jul 10, 2018
Although I love real ghost stories, it doesn’t mean I don’t get creeped out and down right scared when strange paranormal activities happen in my own home . . . and with my personal belongings.
Antique mirrors are known to have some of the silver reflective “mirror” coating worn off. The glass may become warped . . . which makes the image seem like a carnival fun house mirror. And perhaps . . . just perhaps there may be something more sinister afoot.
I try to be logical . . . not everything has to be sinister or ghost related. Some things are just old and strange.
Well, now that I said that . . . you and I know I don’t believe it . . . stay with me and I’ll tell you why.
Aw, geez . . . with my antique mirror, it doesn’t seem to reflect what is directly in front of it, but gives a skewed image of what is beyond it.
Initially this intrigued me . . . giving off a kind of Alice in Wonderland imagery . . . That’s why I bought the creepy old thing . . . but once I hung it up, it made my walls and furniture look a bit topsy-turvy . . . and I didn’t look that great myself.
As I glance in the mirror, I see other images floating around inside, very similar to peering into a crystal ball.
I’m not sure if these floating images are ghostly spirits within the mirror or reflecting what is in the room. Is it possible that it is reflecting ghostly apparitions within my living room and dining room?
Are you getting a bit creeped out? I know I am and I’ve had this mirror hanging on my wall for quite some time now . . . 10 years!!!
I sometimes do my paper crafts at my dining room table . . . and I eat at my dining room table . . . and I have friends and family eat at that same dining room table . . . I may have some “uninvited guests” joining me . . . Aw geez!!
Well . . . if you aren’t a little spooked by now, you soon will be . . . but . . . not everyone finds the mirror creepy . . .
I find it interesting how some of my invited guests do see the floating objects within the mirror and others don’t. I’m beginning to think those who don’t see anything out of the ordinary to be the lucky ones. They are spooked by it and don’t spend time gazing into it.
Yet, I have noticed some of my guests walk quickly past the mirror and don’t want to sit opposite it. Could be some sort of an internal “thing” they’ve picked up on subconsciously.
Yes, I’ve had blessings and smudgings done on this mirror . . . numerous times, in fact.
I’ve also moved it to various locations throughout the house . . . and it has basically decided where it resides now.
Oops!! I kind of let the cat out of the bag there . . .
Since purchasing the mirror and bringing it into my home, I heard strange sounds coming from within the walls of the house where the mirror hung . . . goodness, even when it was setting on the floor, there were strange sounds coming from under the house and seemed to run through the floor in all directions.
A psychic told me that the mirror didn’t want to be there . . .
I inquired whether it didn’t want to be in that particular location of the house . . . or it didn’t want to be in my house at all . . .
I was assured that the mirror wasn’t opposed to being in my house (oh lucky me!!) . . . in fact the mirror chose me to purchase it . . .
The psychic didn’t have to say that . . . I wish he hadn’t said that, actually!!!
So . . . when the psychic left I got the antique mirror out of the house!!!
I set it out in the garage. Besides draining the battery of my car . . . it returned to the entry of my home, propped against the wall — not hung on the wall.
I was foolish enough to return it to the garage . . . And, you guessed it, it returned . . .
So . . . I decided (yeah, right, my decision . . . ) to hang it on the wall where it would be happy . . . and that turned out not be in the entry, but on the wall of the living room where it gets a nice view of the living room and the dining room.
I sit with my back to it mostly . . . it doesn’t seem to mind. I do get goose bumps from time to time and that creepy feeling that I’m being watched . . . and when I dust it, I do peer into it, just to make sure everything is in place . . . (those floating images) . . .
I suppose I’ve made peace with it . . . it does hang straight . . . it does seem happy . . . and I’ve learned a lesson . . . some antiques you own . . . and some . . . own . . . you . . .
Thanks for stopping by!
Please leave me a comment if you know anything about antique mirrors or have one of your own . . .
Sharon
by Sharon | Jul 7, 2018
On Canada’s East Coast, there’s an old haunted school house.
I’m intrigued by this real ghost story as well as the school. It’s a 3 story building with a rooftop observatory and fire escape slides on both sides of the building. All grades are taught at this school — kindergarten through the 12th grade.
As you can imagine, those slides were an attractive nuisance for school personnel. Of course the kids were informed they were for emergency use only . . . but kids being kids . . . and slides being slides . . . It was only natural that the kids would sneak up to the roof and slide down the slide from time to time. No harm was done as long as no one got hurt, but one day the bolt holding the slide dislodged and the slide and passenger fell the three stories. Needless to say the child was killed on impact.
The school is still in use today . . . and it is haunted.
People claim when driving by the old school house at night they see lights or a figure moving from floor to floor with a light of some sort. Some say a candle, because it makes it spookier, but a lantern or a flashlight would cast hideous shadows about, too.
One of the more spiritually active rooms was the library. During the daytime books would fall off the shelves or one would find a pile of books on the floor. These spirits seemed quite mischievous by leading the librarian on a merry chase of dropping books — like leaving bread crumbs to a destination.
The destination was the basement that housed the old boiler.
I met Elsie quite a number of years ago. She was the librarian at that school until her retirement a couple of decades ago. She recalls on one particular day when she was retrieving books that led to the basement, she felt lightheaded and nauseous. She thought it was from bending over every few paces and picking up books. She did have a book cart with her so she didn’t have to carry all those books back into the library.
She paused in front of the door leading into the basement. She felt a cool to icy breeze coming from under the basement door.
Elsie knew she was brought down there for a reason. It wasn’t just to retrieve the books and return them to the library. There was something she needed to see. If she could help children, even children from decades earlier, Elsie was going to stifle her fear and boldly move forward.
She reached for her master key to the basement. All the locks were keyed the same except for the school administration office. She heard voices of children through the door. This made Elsie more determined to get inside and get to the bottom of this. The door opened before Elsie put her key in the door.
A dark figure stood blocking her entry.
As the door opened a bit more, she saw the figure of a man hanging from the rafters.
It was a known fact that a janitor back in the 1930’s hung himself in the basement after the boiler exploded and caused a fire in the school. Some children were killed from the blast and many more injured. He couldn’t bare working there and committed suicide when the school was empty and the repair crew was gone for the night.
Elsie was more concerned about the children she heard in the basement than the dark figure and the hanging man. She did have a book in hand, and being the librarian she was, started reading to the invisible children. She told them she would return the next day and they were welcome in the library.
Before her appointed hour to go into the basement, Elsie heard children giggling and the running of little feet.
She looked around to see if they had chosen a book for her to read. Elsie didn’t see anything out of place and picked a book she read hundreds of times to classroom children over the years.
She was getting to the good part when she heard someone shout, “Stop! Get out!”
Elsie felt little hands tugging her to her feet. She ran out of the basement and out the front door of the school, not stopping to close or lock the doors.
Once safely outside, she stood feeling a bit foolish, but that emotion changed immediately when she heard popping sounds, a crash and the alarm system going off.
She heard the siren of the fire trucks coming her way. The crew got out and immediately went to work inside the school. Elsie was rooted to the spot. Then she thought of those precious children. Were they out? Were they safe?
On the third floor, the ceiling caved in from water damage that hadn’t been repaired. The popping sound was light bulbs popping and soon the ceiling crashed to the floor, and the alarm went off when the electrical matrix caught fire.
Fortunately, students had gone for the day, but there was a janitorial crew in the building and some teachers. Everyone got out safely through the fire escape and the slides.
As teachers and janitors joined Elsie in front of the school, she heard stories of a young boy running through the school leading everyone to the fire escape. Elsie believes along with the others that the children haunting the school saved their lives. This young boy (the one who lost his life on the fire escape slide so many years ago) must have been the one Elsie heard shout at her to stop reading and get out.
It is quite comforting to know that the children who lost their lives in that old school house are still around to help future generations of children, teachers and staff. I only hope the librarian who replaced Elsie reads to these ghost children and allows them in the library to play with the books — pushing them off the shelves, stacking them on the floor . . . and leading a path down to the basement.
Thanks for stopping by!
Sharon
by Sharon | Jul 5, 2018
I’ve always been interested in old train stations that have been abandoned or converted into shops and restaurants.
No I don’t explore them — the abandoned ones, but I will visit a converted one.
There is always an interesting story to be heard.
This one took place in Indiana. I’m sure there are many similar stories from all over the United States . . . and perhaps the world. But this particular Indiana train station was converted into a restaurant and bar.
As the story goes . . . It goes back to the first world war when men were traveling by train to join the troops.
Many women tearfully said good-bye to their husbands or boyfriends at the train station along with many families.
This real ghost story centers around Peggy and Marvin. They recently broke up. Marvin joined the army and was leaving town with other local boys. He was surrounded by his friends, family and new girlfriend.
Peggy showed up wanting to have an urgent word with him. Marvin did his best to ignore here, but she was as persistent as a gnat. Reluctantly he leaves his family, friends and new girlfriends and steps outside near the tracks with Peggy.
She tells him she’s in the “family way.” Marvin tells her it’s her problem. Plus some other choice words that were unkind and uncalled for . . . but he was going off to war and he had a new girlfriend . . . so what did Peggy expect. Marvin walks away to rejoin his friends, family and girlfriend . . . Then boards the train.
No one remembers seeing Peggy leave the train station . . . they do, however, remember seeing her talking with Marvin down by the tracks. This is what her parents were told when they came looking for her around supper time.
By the next morning, police informed Peggy’s parents that her dead body was found in a packing crate at the end of its route.
It’s still a mystery of what happened . . . but rumors spread. Marvin was never charged with Peggy’s murder . . . And to this very day there are sightings of a sad, lonely figure of a young woman walking along the railroad tracks after dark.
This seems to me to be an urban legend . . . which it very well could be . . . As I mentioned earlier, there were rumors . . . speculations, perhaps, but nevertheless a popular belief that Marvin told Peggy to meet him on the train . . . which, of course, she did — hoping he had a change of heart and would marry her . . . but instead murdered her and put her in a packing crate along with goods that were being delivered several counties away.
Well as it happened, after about 40 years, Marvin is found tending bar at the old train station. It’s no longer the train station, the tracks are still out back and used by freight trains primarily. He did return from the war, married, had kids which have grown, married . . . Marvin is a grandfather . . .
Yes, the days of his youth are well behind him . . . the memory of Peggy . . . faded the day he left for war.
Marvin is tending bar when a young woman, wearing a straw hat and sun dress walks in and orders a gin and tonic. She sits at the bar playing with the thin straw in her drink.
There’s something familiar about her, but Marvin can’t place it. They engage in small talk and she says she’s there visiting relatives. No, she’s not related to Peggy, but she resembles her in looks, voice and mannerisms.
The strange thing is that no one else in the bar saw this mysterious woman and the gin and tonic was untouched on the bar.
Marvin got some ribbing about seeing things and serving imaginary customers.
On other visits to the bar, this mysterious woman would walk in, catch Marvin’s eye and walk out back. He could see her waiting for him down by the tracks, but each time Marvin resisted the urge to follow her.
After this went one for several weeks, Marvin finally decided to follow. He wanted answers. Yes, he followed her outside, then he saw her walking slowly beside the tracks. Marvin sprinted after her. He was more concerned about following than being aware of his surroundings and met his death when the 8:30 express came barreling through.
Did Peggy get her revenge? It seems so. Now this Indiana depot, converted bar has Peggy and the bartender in residence. They can be seen playing a cat and mouse game on the railroad tracks reliving his death night after night.
Yes, there have been sightings of Marvin’s meanderings down the railroad tracks . . . some have seen him following the young woman . . . but most just claim to see Marvin . . .
This a true paranormal experience many have shared . . .
Thanks for stopping by!
Sharon
