by Sharon | Nov 2, 2018
I’m a daytime ghost hunter.
I prefer to do my ghost hunting during the day. There are plenty of dark places to go and I like to be able to run out into the daylight, not the dead of night. Maybe I am chicken. I can get scared and creeped out during the day just as easily as at night. It may not be as exciting with that “chill factor” built in during the daylight hours, but when I have a choice I choose daytime.
My friend Dorothy is a realtor and she found a 5 bedroom Victorian that she just couldn’t resist. The house was built sometime in the 1880’s and had been empty for close to ten years. For some strange reason it kept falling out of escrow. She was paying cash, so that wasn’t going to be a problem.
She lost her husband a little over a year ago and was thinking of downsizing, but then she thought of holidays and being able to entertain her family in her Victorian mansion. She was excited about getting repairs and improvements done well before the holidays. And with luck she’d have her house sold by the time she was ready to move in.
With all the repairs, Dorothy was having “buyer’s remorse.” She wanted me to see the place and tell her what a great buy she made and after the repairs, she was going to have a real treasure of a house.
I love old Victorian houses, but one thing I’m not too fond of is wallpaper. Some of the designs are flowery and just too large for the space. That’s another thing about the floor plan, there are usually a lot of little rooms, but this one did have some walls taken out and the woodwork was beautiful. It was fortunate that a new roof was put on before the house was put on the market, but the yard needed work and the gate out in front gave me the creeps. I don’t know what kind of creatures those were, but they did seem like they were watching me.
That was one thing that Dorothy really liked. So I didn’t insult her gate. I did try to be as positive as possible, but the house was dark and I felt as though I couldn’t breathe in there. I did go outside on the porch, I thought the place would catch on fire any minute.
While I was out on the porch, I heard talking.
It was unnerving. I believe whatever was in the house was talking about me.
“She knows.”
“Impossible.”
“Yes, she does.”
“Will she tell.”
“We’ll have to stop her.”
I had no idea what they were talking about, but that was enough for me. I stayed on the front porch and even went into the driveway so I wouldn’t hear any more of the conversation. I knew it was none of my business.
I did tell Dorothy when she asked why I was outside that I had trouble breathing in the house. I was afraid the whole thing would catch on fire and I hoped she had smoke alarms installed.
Then she got this wild idea to have a séance in the house. I told her I would prefer to pass, but it was a good idea for her to learn all she could about the house.
I refused to step foot in the house again. I felt sorry for Dorothy, but I knew I wasn’t welcome there and I didn’t want to offend the spirits that were in the house.
As it turned out, that night, the house did catch on fire from poor wiring. It did burn pretty much to the ground, but the fireplaces and chimneys were still standing . . . and the gate.
Dorothy was heartbroken. Her dreams pretty much went up in smoke, but I was relieved. There was something evil in that house. I don’t believe Dorothy would have been comfortable there.
I did go look at the old burned out place recently. Dorothy had it cleaned up nicely. It’s a vacant lot with that ugly gate. I don’t know what she plans to do. There’s no For Sale sign up on the property yet. I think it’s only a matter of time, but I do believe the property is cursed. I would like Dorothy to have her séance, without me, to find out what is on her property.
I thought it strange how such a lovely house would give me the creeps … but it did and I honor my instincts. I have no idea about the spirits in the house or what secret they were keeping … I’m a bit curious and also cautious when it comes to investigating haunted places where I know I’m not welcome.
I do hope you enjoyed this real ghost story in a real haunted house.
Thanks for stopping by!
Sharon
by Sharon | Nov 1, 2018
You really don’t need to venture far from home to encounter ghostly apparitions or orbs.
It doesn’t have to be late at night, it can be during the daylight hours. Granted, they are easier to see at night, but that doesn’t mean that’s the only time they are present.
You may not like hearing this, but there could be ghosts in your house. There could be ghosts walking down the street right along with you in your neighborhood, at the mall or downtown. It’s rare I don’t see one or two or more as I’m going about my normal routine.
You can either accept this, be skeptical, deny it’s true or be paranoid constantly looking over your shoulder and being scared senseless.
Most house hauntings have to do with the history of the house or what loved ones who have passed want to visit you from time to time. Depending upon the personality of the person in life, the behavior remains the same.
The reason it’s important to get some history about your house is to know if any horrific event occurred there or even in the neighborhood.
There was a violent assault down the street from me. I see her apparition occasionally. It’s not something you want to see. My dog is terrified of it and she usually is comfortable with spirits. Also is such cases, the spirit doesn’t know she’s dead. She’s unaware of the attack, so it remains an unsolved murder case.
All I want to say here is that it was a brutal attack and her face is unrecognizable as such. She does have an eye that is out of the socket, resting on what would be her cheek. I’m surprised the spirit is pacing in front of her old house, given the damage to the rest of her body. It is absolutely frightening.
And, of course, my neighbors don’t want to discuss it … but I’m sure they’re whisper among themselves as to how I know of the attack since it happened well before I moved into the neighborhood. Well … knowing what I’ve seen, I can understand it … but they don’t have to deny it ever happened.
I rarely walk on that side of the street.
You may think me heartless. The truth is a friend and I tried to help her. Not after the assault, but in her spirit state. She insists she needs a ride to her hairdresser. She can’t seem to find her car and she has a terrible headache.
She repeats the same thing over and over again.
We did take her to her hairdresser once, but the next time we saw her she made the same request. We took her to the hospital, a local mortuary, even to the cemetery, but didn’t encounter any spirits that could connect with her to get her to crossover. We even tried to help her move on, but she is stuck in needing to go to her hairdresser.
I saw her in my house one morning and had to firmly tell her to leave, to go home and scare the living daylights out of the current resident of the house.
I’d held a séance for her, but she doesn’t understand what the psychic was talking about, plus she doesn’t believe in such nonsense. She has her priorities straight, get to the hairdresser.
I think it’s more interesting hearing the ghostly tales of others.
“I was at the local deli picking up a sandwich to take back to the office,” Ted explained. “I saw an old guy sitting on a bench, waiting for a bus. There was something odd about him, but I was in a hurry to get back to work.”
Just as he was finishing up the paperwork for his client, Ted saw this same man who was on the bench walk past his office and continue down the hall. He seemed to know where he was going, so Ted didn’t follow him.
Ted met with his client and when he opened the door, there stood the man he had seen earlier waiting. The odd thing was that the man was about half a foot off the ground. He was hovering there.
Ted’s client walked through the apparition and Ted stood in his office in utter shock.
“I don’t know how long I stood there like an idiot,” he admitted. “I couldn’t stop shaking and didn’t trust my legs to walk a few feet to a chair.”
The ghost eventually floated away after Ted got a good look at him. He knew the ghost had a reason or a message, but Ted wasn’t capable of thinking clearly at that moment.
When Ted was busy with another project, a book fell from the shelf.
Ted didn’t notice, he was in deep concentration.
“I remember smelling coffee and thought I’d go get a cup. That’s when I noticed the book on the floor.”
He picked it up, paying no particular attention to it and returned it to the shelf. He was focused on getting a cup of coffee.
He met Kim in the alcove that served as their beverage area. There was the coffee maker and a small refrigerator with sodas and water. Occasionally there would be snacks, but mostly beverages.
“I’ve had a strange feeling all day,” she began. “You know my grandfather founded this business. My father, brothers and uncles did most of the work here. Then when Granddaddy died, the place almost folded. My father worked night and day to set things right.”
Ted heard this story before. The uncles cashed out to get their retirement. Kim’s father and his brothers worked to keep things afloat, but soon realized there wasn’t enough revenue to support them all. They sought other employment.
“Come to my office, I want to show you something,” she said.
Ted followed, bringing his cup of coffee with him. He wasn’t about to refuse his boss.
“Do you believe in . . . ” she paused searching for the right word.
“Ghosts?” Ted said, trying to help.
“No, that’s not what I was thinking, deja vu, perhaps.”
Ted was working on one of the oldest accounts the firm had. It went way back to the beginning of the company. That was why he grabbed a quick sandwich and returned to the office.
“How did everything go with your meeting today?”
“Very well, young Flemming seemed pleased with the investments.”
“Well, it was right after that meeting on this date that Granddaddy was waiting for a bus when he was held up, robbed and murdered. Then, 24 years to the day, my father met with the family and that evening had a massive stroke.”
Kim didn’t handle that account believing it was cursed and she would be next.
“Are you warning me?” Ted asked trying to make a joke, but he was concerned. He realized the man he saw on the bench was Kim’s grandfather. Was the old man trying to warn him?
“It’s been 24 years since my father’s death.”
The air was heavy. Both Kim and Ted sat quietly.
As it turned out, Kim and Ted were both fine. It was the young Mr. Flemming who hung himself in his office.
It was later revealed that the Flemming account had its ups and downs over the years. It was down 48 years ago when the elder Flemming had a verbal altercation with Kim’s grandfather and later robbed and killed him at the bus stop. The account was down 24 years ago when Kim’s father had a massive stroke and died caused by the altercation in the office that day and receiving threats through the night by telephone. It was when the doorbell rang that Kim’s father was at his wits end and suffered the stroke.
Ted’s meeting went quite well with the young Mr. Flemming. The accounts were up and a great profit was realized from the investments.
In a note left by Mr. Flemming to Kim or her heirs, he spelled out the details of his family’s involvement in her family’s deaths and the plans that were put in place in the event the accounts were down on that particular date.
As it turned out, Mr. Flemming didn’t call off the hit on Kim before he took his own life.
When Kim left the office that evening, she had a feeling her life was in danger. That made her hypervigilant. She left her car in the lot and rented one to drive home. She didn’t want to put her family in danger, but with a different car, she felt she wouldn’t be followed. Just to be on the safe side she hired armed security to protect her home.
The brakes on her car had been tampered with. When the hit man noticed the car in the lot, he went to her house. He was able to avoid the armed security guards, but the tale he told about an old man who blocked his entry into the house and still stood his ground after being shot three times, the hit man was willing to give himself up to the armed guards and the police without incident.
Kim is a believer. She is sure her grandfather saved her life. I have to agree.
Thank you for stopping by!
I hope you enjoyed this real ghost story. It is one of my favorites — I like it when the truth comes out and justice is served.
Sharon
by Sharon | Oct 30, 2018
During this Halloween week, I thought a real ghost story would be in order.
On this fall evening, I had a few friends over. We were sitting around the fire pit near my patio.
As is usually the case, we started talking about urban legends. I’ve always thought some truth originated from them, but the location is usually never pin pointed and some have been proven false, but retold nevertheless.
Someone mentioned the urban legend “The Babysitter.” I always get a creepy feeling about that story, but I didn’t expect my friend Barbara’s reaction.
“That really happened to me,” Barbara said quietly.
We waited. I was torn between wanting to know and not wanting to hear a story that would keep me up until the break of dawn. Especially an urban legend I already found disturbing. I didn’t need to put a real person’s face on it.
“It’s not exactly like the urban legend, but the similarity cannot be mistaken,” she began. “I was at my aunt and uncle’s house staying with my younger cousins. My parents were having an anniversary party for them. My brothers had dates and that left me to stay with the cousins.”
She quickly added, “No one was killed.” And, the only similarity to the urban legend is the babysitting part … but I’m sure there are numerous variations.
I just knew it had to do with telephone calls or creepy sounds upstairs or in the basement. I had to shut off my wandering imagination.
Barbara’s story took place in the mid 1960’s.
“We were all downstairs. Aunt Harriet had dinner prepared for us. June and I just had to put it on plates. Brady and Mark were watching an old western on television. They wanted to continue watching their program and set up TV trays for all of us to eat together in the living room. During the commercial, the boys got a cold bottle of soda for each of us and made a big production of popping off the caps. They carried in their plates and the sodas just as the program began. June and I followed with silverware, napkins and our own plates.”
“I remember just getting settled when the telephone rang.”
No one was there, but the phone line seemed to crackle.
Barbara returned to the living room and began eating when the telephone rang again. She got up to answer it. This time there was laughing on the line. She decided it was a prank call and said, “Tell me the joke and I’ll laugh along with you.” She heard a distinct click indicating the call was disconnected.
“During the commercial break, we refilled our plates in the kitchen, grabbed another roll or two and the boys opened up another bottle of soda for each of us.”
They were having a pleasant evening together, it was like they were having their own “party” in front of the television.
After dinner and after the television program, the boys searched for something else to watch while June and Barbara washed the dishes. The boys later put the soda bottles in the garage and took out the trash.
They rushed in white as ghosts. “Upstairs, we saw someone in Mom’s sewing room.”
June didn’t believe them at first. She knew her brothers were probably up to something. Barbara immediately believed them. She went outside and the sewing room window was dark.
The boys insisted the light was on and there was someone in the room, walking by the window.
“Let’s all go out for ice cream,” Barbara suggested.
They all got into her car, parked out front. June noticed the light on in the front bedroom window.
“That’s my room!” she said. “I didn’t have my light on.”
They watched the window. Nothing crossed in front of it, but the next window lit up. They were sure someone was in the house.
Barbara carefully drove to the store. She found a telephone booth and all four of them crammed inside as Barbara called her house. Her father answered. She told him what was happening and she and her cousins were at the grocery store. He told her to come home with her cousins.
She had to pass the house on her way home and saw her uncle’s car parked across the street. She parked behind him. He was relieved they were safe and said he was waiting for the police.
A couple of police cars pulled up and parked a couple of houses away on the same side of the street as her aunt and uncle’s house. Her uncle got out of the car to join them.
The police went inside. When they stepped on the porch, the porch light went out. Two other officers went around back.
Barbara remembered leaving the kitchen light on when they left. It was now out.
The police went inside and through every room in the house. What they found was disturbing.
Uncle Roy told Barbara to go home with her cousins.
“Daddy’s going into the house,” Brady said.
“What’s in the house,” Mark wanted to know.
That’s what everyone wanted to know. They waited for Uncle Roy.
He returned with the police. Neither Uncle Roy, nor the police gave much information, but they asked plenty of questions from what they did that evening to what they had for dinner. Barbara explained about the telephone calls. The boys spoke about the light being on in the sewing room.
Aunt Harriet remembered checking the bedrooms before she and Roy left for the evening after Barbara arrived. Nothing was out of place she insisted.
Barbara could attest to the fact that no one went upstairs. The bathroom downstairs was used. All the children were in agreement. Either the boys were together or June and Barbara were together when they were all in the living room.
They didn’t hear anything upstairs.
Years later Barbara found out what the police found and why her aunt and uncle moved out of the house.
No windows were found open. All the outside doors were locked, but something strange had entered the house or been in the house when Harriet and Roy left the children in the care of Barbara.
It was strange no one heard anything, but the television was on and they were watching a western with galloping hoofs and gun fire.
Upstairs was a complete mess. Toys were thrown around the room, beds were set upended against the wall, some toys were broken and all the heads of June’s dolls were gone — not in the trash or anywhere in the house. Clothes were ripped, not slashed with a knife while still on their hangers. Drawers were dumped out and the contents ripped up.
This was impossible for Barbara and her cousins to have done during the two to three hours they were alone in the house.
It was concluded that it had to be poltergeists.
Harriet and Roy didn’t return to live in the house with their children. They hired someone to clean the house and remove all the furniture to the dump. They stayed with Barbara’s family for a couple of weeks before moving into an apartment while they were selling the house.
Whatever was in the house may not have wanted to harm Barbara and her cousins, but since Harriet and Roy were away, it made it very clear that it didn’t want them in the house.
Barbara has never forgotten that night and still gets chills remembering the laughter she heard over the telephone.
Did you find that real ghost story creepy?
Thanks for stopping by!
Sharon
by Sharon | Oct 29, 2018
This has been some weekend with Halloween Parties . . . and All Hollows Eve is still a few days away …
I don’t know about trick-or-treat-ers running around the neighborhood.
I have noticed there are some strange things going on … last week and over the weekend … This is the reason for sharing this real ghost story with you.
And, I don’t have an explanation as to the strange paranormal experiences others are having … the veil must have lifted to a degree … or our imaginations are on overdrive …
Everyone has quirks. My friend Joan has a thing for leaving doors and cabinets half open.
Doors are to be either opened or closed. Cabinets, she prefers to have closed, drawers, too.
Everyday when she came home from work, doors were half open, cabinets half open, and drawers pulled out.
She decided she had a ghost that was messing with her.
A few days later, at work, she noticed her desk drawers were opened, the door to her office was half open and the filing cabinet drawers were opened and pulled out. She locked her office, desk and file cabinet before leaving. It was something she did every evening as did others in the office.
The janitorial service the company used would lock the doors of the offices. All the employees had separate keys to their desks and file cabinets.
Joan lived alone and no one had keys to her house.
When Joan’s sister, Holly, accepted her invitation to visit the following weekend, Joan asked her to bring her ghost hunting equipment with her.
Holly arrived with her ghost hunting team late that Friday night. Some were going to investigate the office and others Joan’s house.
Joan accompanied half the group to the office (three others) and Holly stayed at the house to investigate with the other half of the group (also three members).
At each location cameras were set up. They also had EMF sensors (also referred to as The Ghost Meter).
They both saw what they believed to be poltergeist activity opening doors and drawers. It appeared to be almost earthquake activity of doors swinging freely half opened or half closed and the drawers made jumping movements — not smooth openings. The kitchen cabinets swung open smoothly and adjusted to closing halfway.
It was all quite odd.
The group decided to do some research about both locations.
The strange thing was that both Joan’s house and the office building were once owned by the same man in the 1920’s. He was an attorney who was rumored to have poisoned his wife so he could marry his secretary. It does seem fitting that she would haunt both locations, but why Joan’s office and not the one used by her former husband?
With more research and consulting a psychic it was uncovered that the annoying ghost had once worked in the office Joan occupied before her marriage.
As has often been believed that poison is a woman’s means of murder, the psychic reasoned the annoying ghost was slowly poisoning her husband, but he discovered her putting cyanide in his food and drink and would switch plates and glasses with hers. So, in the end she poisoned herself.
It is a strange tale, but why was she taunting Joan who was not a relative and how did she know of Joan’s quirk of not liking doors, cabinets and drawers half or partly opened?
The simple answer is observation. This is how she decided to get Joan’s attention.
The annoying ghost didn’t stay with Joan much longer after the truth was uncovered. Did she want Joan to believe her husband poisoned her? Or to acknowledge that she actually poisoned herself?
Does the truth set one free?
Joan still lives in the same house and works in the same office. She thinks of the annoying spirit from time to time and wonders if she’ll return.
She’s relieved that the ghost only messed with her obsession and didn’t try to poison her.
I hope you enjoyed this real ghost story. I did. It had a happy ending … and gave us a bit of insight into the paranormal.
I’m always searching for answers or some insight into the realm of the paranormal … I’m not so much in getting the wits scared out of me … that has happened, but not something I seek …
I do hope this Halloween Season you and your family will be safe …
Thanks for stopping by!
Sharon
by Sharon | Oct 25, 2018
Cemeteries mean different things to different people.
Lori moved back home to live with her parents after a bitter divorce. She didn’t want to burden her parents with her sadness and bitterness, so everyday she went to the cemetery and just poured her heart out on the grave of someone she didn’t know.
She would go to the oldest session, knowing it was the quietest and least visited. There was the headstone of Rosemary who was born in 1823 and died in 1848 at the young age of 25.
Lori forgot about her sadness when she read the dates on the headstone.
“Excuse me Rosemary, but why was your life cut short?” she asked as she sat down. Then she apologized. “I’m sorry, where are my manners. I’m Lori and I’m 25. My husband divorced me and I’m now living with my parents.”
Lori didn’t expect an answer, but she was hoping for one. She imagined how great it would be for a ghost to come out of her grave and have a heart-to-heart talk with her.
She heard a whispered “Divorce?”
It did sound like a question, so Lori answered. “I married too young as my parents kept telling me. Ray’s parents said the same thing to him. We just graduated from high school. It seemed to be the right thing to do.”
Lori explained how she worked full-time in a little boutique owned by a woman who became ill and needed someone to manage the shop. “I loved my job and took some night classes to learn about managing a dress shop and about keeping the books and ordering merchandise.”
Ray was able to quit his part-time job and attend college full-time since Lori was working and making good money to support them.
The owner of the boutique passed and left the store to Lori.
“I was both scared and excited, but the stress of owning a store got to me.”
She worked night and day at the boutique. Ray was understanding at first. He’d bring take-out and they’d eat together and talk.
“Ray insisted I sell the boutique. He wanted to buy a house and begin a family after he graduated from college. He had a job waiting for him.”
Lori agreed to sell the boutique and to use the money to buy a house. The extra money was to get them through until Ray’s graduation and his employment. Things, unfortunately, didn’t go as planned.
She found out that she couldn’t have children and this was the deal breaker for Ray. He wanted a divorce.
Lori heard “No children.”
It was a statement. She felt Rosemary was interacting with her, but she didn’t know if it was just a response to what she had said or if Rosemary was trying to tell her something.
“Rosemary, were you married?”
“Almost,” was the reply.
Communicating with the dead was not at all how Lori imagined it to be. She needed to ask the right questions or do some research in the newspaper archives.
Lori decided to stay and try to get answers from Rosemary.
“Did you die on your wedding day?”
“Before.”
“Can you give me more than one word answers, Rosemary?” Lori asked frustrated.
“Murdered.”
This was getting interesting, but Lori was impatient.
Fortunately, someone passed by and asked, “Are you related to Rosemary?”
“No, I was just sitting here. Are you a relative?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, I am. Rosemary had a tragic life. She was planning to get married, but she died before the wedding.”
“What happened?”
“No one knows.”
“Was she murdered?”
“What made you ask that!” The woman was so indignant that she walked away in a huff. Lori knew she had to solve this mystery. She knew it would take a long time trying to get at the truth with Rosemary, but she was determined to try.
Everyday Lori visited Rosemary’s gravesite. She’d ask questions, some days she’d receive cryptic responses and other days receive nothing at all.
After a month, Lori decided to consult a psychic.
She learned that the man Rosemary was planning to marry was named Jonathan Westlake. He had a wife and four children in another state. That was during the time he was courting Rosemary and asked her to marry him.
According to the psychic, Mrs. Westlake, Jonathan’s mother, came to put a stop to Jonathan’s adulterous affair by arranging the disappearance of Rosemary.
“But Rosemary told me she was murdered,” insisted Lori.
After several more sessions, Rosemary was able to communicate the actual facts of her death.
Yes, she did meet with Mrs. Westlake and learned of Jonathan’s wife and family. Rosemary was devastated by the news. She walked home to her parent’s house after the meeting.
Rosemary’s parents lived on a farm outside of town. She walked that lonely deserted road hundreds of times while growing up there to go to school and to visit with friends. It never bothered her. She enjoyed the exercise, but her mind focused on the betrayal. She plotted in her mind how she would ruin Jonathan Westlake. He sold farm equipment to the various farmers. That was his reason for being there. Her parents were well-known and influential in the town. It was because of her parents and the announcement of her marriage that persuaded other farmers to buy from Jonathan.
Evidently, the elder Mrs. Westlake and her son knew Rosemary could cause trouble for him. Rosemary had to die before she reached the farmhouse. And that was exactly what happened.
“I knew I was being followed,” Rosemary told the psychic. “I heard my name being called by Jonathan. I wasn’t about to stop. I never wanted to see him again. There was nothing he could say that would make this right. He used me!”
“I heard a loud buzzing in my head. It sounded like a swarm of hornets,” Rosemary said sadly.
Lori concluded that Jonathan shot Rosemary in the head. It was confirmed by the psychic.
Jonathan and his mother left that night never to return.
Lori still visits Rosemary’s gravesite. She still finds comfort at the cemetery. She no longer dwells on her failed marriage with Ray and all she gave up for him. She goes to learn what she can about the lives of the men, women and children buried in the old section of the cemetery.
I found this real ghost story interesting — not only to learn about Rosemary, but to learn how Lori’s life turned around. She began volunteering at the Historical Society and writing stories about the lives of those who lived, died and were buried in the local cemetery.
Thanks for stopping by!
Sharon
