by Sharon | Oct 18, 2018
When was the last time you saw a ghost?
Today? Yesterday? A week or month or year ago? Maybe … never?
Well they are around …
Tim and his wife were at the florist shop in town ordering some flowers to send to his grandmother who was in the hospital recovering from a hip replacement. His wife pointed out a man who was standing by a display case. He didn’t hear what she said, but the man seemed out of place and had a blank expression on his fact. His wife went to speak to one of the workers while Tim stayed where he was observing the strange short and portly may in a black suit that had seen better days. The man walked past Tim. He felt cold and also smelled like damp earth, but not in a nice after a rain clean smell. Tim watched him go into the back room.
When his wife returned, he asked her about the odd man she pointed out.
“What man?” she asked, confused. She said she was pointing to one of the workers and wanted to know if they could order something special to be filled and delivered in Dallas.
Now Tim was confused and wanted to know about that man, but didn’t want to make himself look foolish. He looked around the shop while his wife took care of the order. He was interested in the pictures that were on the wall with the various owners since the shop was first opened.
He saw the man in a photograph. He had to go outside for some air. He thought he was going to pass out or throw up or both.
Tim sat on a bench that was outside the shop. He hung his head between his knees, taking slow, deep breaths. When he sat back up, the strange man was sitting next to him on the bench.
He heard very distinctly, “Young man, I own this shop. Is there anything special you want today?”
Tim didn’t know if the man was real or not. He reached out to touch him . . . and he vanished.
Evidently, the previous owner didn’t know he was dead and was carrying on with his normal daily activities.
It was the strangest experience Tim ever had. He was still shaken when his wife came out of the shop looking for him.
Tim’s wife wasn’t as timid as her husband when it came to asking about ghosts. The worker who was taking care of her order said, “Oh yes, Mr. Stephenson is here regularly. There are times we have seen floral arrangements on the work bench in back that he must have made up. It’s nice to have the old with the new.”
She pointed out some arrangements that he made.
“These will be sold by the close of today,” the woman said. “Someone will come in looking for it.”
It’s refreshing how some people just take hauntings in stride and appreciate what they can learn from those who have passed on.
I believe this is more common than not … there is nothing to get freaked out about … At my local grocery store there is an elderly gentleman who greets me in the produce section — he is definitely an apparition … a spirit … a ghost … and he is there checking on the produce, making sure it is fresh.
It is unfortunate most people don’t see him … he does work very hard.
Thanks for stopping by!
Sharon
by Sharon | Sep 2, 2018
Sonny was haunted by a little girl.
It seems my local coffee shop is the place for me to learn about the paranormal experiences of others. I guess I’ve gotten a reputation in my little corner of the city that I’ll listen to the strange and unusual stories of others without judgment. All I can say is that I’m delighted most of these things haven’t happened to me . . . but I’ve had my share of experiences.
It’s unfortunate that in many places throughout history there have been men and women murdering their families. For this and many other possible reasons, one never knows for sure what has happened in their own homes by previous owners or visitors.
Sonny lives with his grandmother in an old mansion near the cemetery. That, in and of itself is spooky enough, but that has no baring on this story — the location. What is significant is that there was a murder in the house. It seemed back in the 1940’s a family of five invited a long lost cousin to stay with them for a visit.
What happened in the house?
Hugh and Suzanne Williamson lived in a lovely mansion with their two sons and a daughter. Mrs. Williamson was in contact with a man who claimed to be a cousin from Montana. In their correspondence (this was during the 1940’s when snail mail was the preferred means of communication) it became clear that Suzanne’s father and Brian’s (the cousin) mother were cousins. As usually happens when one exchanges letters Suzanne extended an invitation to visit if he’s ever in California.
After a year of corresponding, Brian says he’s taking a train trip out to California for a visit. He gives Suzanne the details of when he’ll arrive.
The Williamson family picks up cousin Brian at the train depot and brings him into their home. He does come with gifts and photographs of the shared family history in Montana. It all seems legitimate and true. Suzanne has photographs of similar pictures. What the family doesn’t know is that Brian had a troubled upbringing and for the past several years was institutionalized for the criminally insane.
It is unknown if he escaped or was released.
Brian was the perfect house guest for the first couple of days. Then he stopped interacting with the family. He would stay in his room all day and would be out all night.
Suzanne and Hugh waited up for him one night and told him it was time for him to return home — his visit was now over.
While the Williamson family slept, Brian murdered them all and was on the train early the next morning, destination unknown.
It took a couple of days before the bodies were found. (This was told to Sonny’s grandmother by a neighbor who lived next door to the Williamson’s when it happened.)
Sonny is a college student. He lives with his grandmother, aunt and little cousin, Gillian.
One Saturday morning, Sonny was doing laundry in the basement. His grandmother, aunt and little cousin were out shopping. He saw a little girl he thought was Gillian playing in the basement. She asked him for a glass of water. He went into the kitchen to get the water for her. He set the glass on the counter when his grandmother, aunt and cousin walked in with their arms full of grocery bags. He went out to the car to help bring in more bags.
When he went back into the basement to put his laundry into the dryer, he noticed the glass next to some toys. Sonny realized that Gillian wasn’t in the basement with him asking for a glass of water. She was out of the house with her mother and grandmother.
The creepy thing was that the glass was empty — no evidence that it had spilled.
He immediately told his grandmother what had happened. He was shaken up by the experience.
No one else has seen the ghost of the little girl or any other Williamson family member.
Sonny believes the little girl is with him all the time. He’ll see her in the house and at college and every place he goes.
I noticed Sonny brought his coffee and a glass of water to the table. He drank his coffee and never touched the water, but by the time his story was completed . . . his water glass was empty.
Now that was a Creepy Real Ghost Story!!
Sharon
by Sharon | Sep 1, 2018
I was at a used bookstore one afternoon and I found this old diary.
I was excited about it, but I was also nervous about buying something as private as a diary, but I bought it and kept it in my car for a few weeks before smudging it and bringing it into the house. Then, it took me a few more weeks before I sat down to read it.
The year was 1864.
The diary opened with accounts. Adaline Murphy and Franklin MacArthur were making plans for a June wedding. They had begun pooling their accounts.
Adaline lived with her mother, father and brother outside of town. Her mother read tea leaves, cards and made potions of various kinds the “well to do ladies” wanted to keep their husbands faithful and give their children an edge over their peers. Adaline’s specialty was a face cream to keep women looking young. She always had something brewing in the cauldrons out back. There were all sorts of potions that were in demand.
Franklin was a friend of Adaline’s brother. They ran the local horse and buggy service to take ladies shopping or to take crops to market for the various farmers. They also would deliver furniture to the various mansions they picked up at the train station or at the docks. They had a good business. Adaline’s father was a businessman, but it wasn’t explained what kind of business he ran, but he was very successful in whatever he did and knew all the important people in town, but he never mixed with them socially. There was a definite line that wasn’t crossed. The fact that the Murphy’s were considered gypsies could have been the barrier, but Adaline didn’t seem to mind, they had a commodity that sold well and was always in demand.
Franklin’s family were farmers. He was the eldest of eight siblings and went out on his own as soon as he saved enough money to start his business with Bentley Murphy. He lived in a room above the barn on the Murphy property, but every Sunday he and Adaline would go to the MacArthur farm for Sunday dinner.
Adaline didn’t go to school with the other children. She learned what she needed to know about business from her father and potions, card reading and cooking from her mother. She also had her own following of “groupies” who bought her hot lunch specialties during the week. The athletes would fill up on her stews and wear amulets she made for them. It was good no one asked what meat was in the stew. From what I learned from the diary, they would cook whatever got caught in their traps — even things that most people wouldn’t normally eat.
Church Revivals were a big thing in the area and with all the land the Murphy’s had, they invited preachers from all over the country to hold their revivals on their land. Although, the preaching and the tea leaf reading, potions, etc. didn’t mix, they seemed to during these revivals. Adaline would lure them over with her cauldrons of tasty stew and whatever else they had to sell.
The sad truth revealed in the diary was Adaline had no loyalty to the hometown team. Money was money to her and her family. They would tell fortunes and make amulets for anyone who wanted one and would pay the price.
There was a big cross town rivalry homecoming game that was the talk of the town.
Both teams bought from the Murphy’s and both teams thought they had the edge to be the winner.
After the game, with a close score of 56 to 57, the losing team heard about the Murphy’s and how they must have made stronger amulets for the opposing team and they were going to get even with them.
Adaline was killed and never did marry Franklin. Mr. and Mrs. Murphy were out of town at the time and Franklin and Bentley were busy with their buggy service that night.
Franklin was heartbroken and never married. His eldest sister took Adaline’s place behind the cauldrons and making potions and beauty creams. She had an interest in learning this craft and worked closely with Adaline and later with Mrs. Murphy.
According to the diary Adaline’s ghost had been seen on the back roads of the town. She was going to the school with her hot lunches. She was also seen in the woods selling amulets to women who passed through on their shopping trips. I believe Franklin’s sister wanted to keep the legend alive and she would dress like Adaline and appear in the woods and sell amulets and potions. It seemed to be the talk of tea parties when someone bought an amulet or potion from the ghost of Adaline Murphy.
One incident occurred at the wedding of the star football quarterback. Some of his friends got a bit too drunk and loosened the reins of the horses on the buggy. The idea was for the horses to run off leaving the newlyweds stranded in the buggy, but something went wrong and when the men fired their guns they shot the young couple and the horses took off with the buggy and the dead newlyweds.
One entry said that the spirit of Adaline was seen at the wedding. It is believed she was seeking revenge of her murder.
Whenever she appeared at a wedding something went wrong either that day or with the young couple during the first few months of their marriage.
I don’t know the truth of the diary. I don’t know if Adaline’s ghost appears from time to time to avenge her murder. It has become a local urban legend.
One diary entry I found particularly interesting was dated March 26, 1864:
Franklin and I are planning to go far far away once we’re married. We don’t want to raise our children here. We both know how to make money and we want to live in one of the fine houses and raise our children with all the fine things money can buy. Our children will want for nothing and they will have amulets and potions to fulfill their heart’s desires. I will not be able to practice my trade openly, but Franklin’s sister Mary may come join us and carry on in my place.
I don’t know about being a fine lady, but I will learn for the sake of my children. Being backwoods gypsies isn’t the life I want for them.
The smoke of the third cauldron foretells of my not seeing my wedding day. There will be no children and no great home. I am not meant to be a fine lady. I am who I am and the plans Franklin and I have made offended the ancestors. Franklin and I shall not be wed. My heart breaks with this revelation, but I cannot bring myself to tell him. I cannot bare to see him with another.
Mother says the smoke of the third cauldron tells the truth and it cannot be changed.
I suppose the blessing was that Adaline didn’t know the full extent of her revelation. Too bad it wasn’t a warning of what was to come so she, too, could have been away the night of the homecoming game, but it wasn’t meant to be.
I found this entry to be a bit unsettling. I do, however, find it interesting how superstitions can be self-fulfilling prophacies.
Thanks for stopping by!
Sharon
by Sharon | Aug 31, 2018
It was one of the old mansions in town that got everyone exciting about this particular estate sale.
I was there bright and early so I wouldn’t miss anything. The article said that everything had to go and the attic was filled to the rafters with cast offs from decades of storage. It’s something that feeds the imagination.
I was talking to a few people before the doors opened. Everyone had something special they were seeking: old dinnerware, toys, dolls, silver, old clothes, furniture, fixtures, etc.. I understood even the chandeliers were going and those were original with the house. I was daydreaming and missed the rush of bargain hunters when the door opened.
I was almost ready to leave as soon as I entered the residence.
I was assaulted with muggy air — it was thick and hot. I was feeling a little ill, but I continued on as though nothing was wrong. I took a hankie from my purse and gently dabbed the moisture off my face. My glasses were sliding down my nose and become a bit foggy.
I did see an entity a few feet away from me, frantically trying to get my attention or anyone’s attention in the room. Every time I walked away my legs buckled out from under me. It was awkward for me to just stop in the middle of the room and converse with a ghost, but it was giving me no choice. Every place had people milling around, so I just had to do the best I could to hear what this trapped spirit wanted to say to me. With my hankie still in hand, I thought this may cover the fact I was actually talking to something that others couldn’t see.
“My home is being destroyed, who are these vandal?” were the first words addressed to me.
I didn’t know if I was in the vandal category or if he thought I would help him in some manner — maybe to get rid of the rift-raft which I couldn’t do for him. I tried to explain that this was no longer his house and others had lived there over the years. He wasn’t buying any of it. He spoke of losing his wife after the children moved away and hadn’t seen them for a very long time.
Well, all that was back at the turn of the 20th century. I told him his wife and children and grandchildren were all waiting for him and he could leave at any time.
“I do hear my name being called. It sounds just like my Anna,” he said sadly shaking his head. “Is she trapped here? In the walls?”
“No, she’s beyond the walls. Come outside with me,” I said.
I didn’t see the bright light, but I saw swirling white mist circling the entity of the tried old soul. I just got pieces of conversation, almost like there was static on an invisible line. His wife was coming for him. He was having quite a reunion with his loved ones. I couldn’t help the big grin on my face.
Some people were leaving the estate and others were coming in while this beautiful passage was taking place. Then there was silence.
To be honest with you, I believe I came to the estate, not for antiques or a look around the mansion, but to help this trapped soul. As soon as he was gone, I felt free to go, as though my job there was done. I was also exhausted and felt the need for a nap.
In my sleep, I was visited by the man and his family. He asked why I hadn’t been there earlier. My only reply was that he wasn’t ready then. I believe I’m drawn to where I need to be. He seemed to accept that. That was good, because it was the best explanation I had at this time.
I hope you enjoyed this Real Ghost Story.
Thanks for stopping by!
Sharon
by Sharon | Aug 29, 2018
There is a common belief that 12 midnight is the bewitching hour when ghosts, spirits, poltergeists, what have you will appear.
For ghost hunters, many have day jobs and night is the best time for them. I believe it is spookier at night and having some nice scary pictures to go along with your explorations doesn’t hurt. I believe it adds atmosphere and gets you in the mood. It is also a reminder to be alert.
Remember when you were a kid and how the creepy old house down the street was creepier at night? It may also have something to do with Halloween when we dressed up in costumes and went trick-or-treating in the dark. Maybe at that time in our lives we were only interested in the candy and seeing our friends, but if you remember back it was so very quiet. You could hear your footsteps echoing behind you. The silence was only broken by the occasional chorus of voices calling out, “Trick or Treat!”
There were the creepy lit jack-o-lanterns that adorned porches and fence posts casting an eerie glow to the yard. Some played scary organ music with occasional screams, rattling chains and moaning wind. Things may have changed over the years, but the basic atmosphere and our enthusiasm hasn’t.
In the “still of the night” has been an ideal time to hunt for ghosts.
It is obviously quiet and you have a better chance of picking up something on your recording devices. It appears ghosts don’t like being in crowded places, if they are at all aware of their surroundings. There are haunted houses, hospitals, restaurants, libraries, and open spaces.
There was a mall in a neighboring town that lost its anchor stores and soon became a “ghost town” of sorts. I’m not saying it was “haunted”, but I did feel uncomfortable walking around in there during the day. Others had remarked that they got spooked walking through the empty mall one night after a meeting. So I suppose ghosts prefer to be where we don’t like being.
One personal experience I had recently was at a well known slaughter house in town.
Just the idea of a slaughter house would instantly make one think it would be haunted. The thing about this place is that there have been stories, many have been proven to be hoaxes perpetrated by local teens having fun and perhaps wanting to create an urban legend of sorts.
Well, it wasn’t my intention to go to the slaughter house, but I was out with friends and we saw something that came whoosing out of the sky at us. We followed it to the old slaughter house.
I tried to convince everyone it was an owl, but they gave me reasons why it couldn’t possibly be. So there I was walking along this empty field late at night to this building that had a questionable reputation. The old brick building had been broken into numerous times over the years and visitors would take a brick as a souvenir.
Hoax or not, this was a creepy place. There was this unsettling scent in the air — like death, but the slaughter house hadn’t been used for decades.
The air had a chill in it I didn’t notice until I got closer. I wasn’t thinking of anything in particular, just placing one foot in front of the other, not wanting to fall into a gopher hole and twist my ankle.
All of a sudden there was an ungodly screech and this black mass with a white skull face came swooping down upon us! I took off running! The others followed.
Pity no one had the peace of mind to take a picture, but we’re not the bravest souls who go off exploring in the dead of night.
