Being a bit of a skeptic myself, I fully understand those of you that are rolling your eyes right about now thinking "OMG, she's gone batty" really I do. I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't lived through the experience myself and my feelings won't be hurt if you say something to that effect in the comments. But having lived with a ghost once I can't deny their existence, and although the situation was bizarre I didn't find it scary at all.
I was in my late 20's and going through my first divorce. I was waiting tables at a 24 hour coffee house. One of the ladies I worked with was sweet little Virgo woman who had lost a son to a motorcycle accident a few years back. He was the fun loving sort, big heart, trouble magnet. Had he lived, he would have been about my age. I was in serious need of some fun at the time and sincerely regretted that he wasn't around to kick it with. He would have been just my type.
Mama Virgo was always telling us stories about Brian and when she did, strange things would happen. One night it was a bus tub that came jumping off the shelf to crash on the floor. Another time a light about an empty table exploded. When we were at her house, doors would suddenly swing shut. She said she and her family always attributed those things to Brian.
She let me come stay with her for a couple of weeks while I was waiting for the trailer I was moving into to become available. While I was there, there was a lot of "activity". She was getting ready to move to CA and said that the reason for all the commotion was that Brian didn't like the idea of her going there. It was where she had met his father and he didn't think much of him. Smart ass that I am I said "Well, if Brian doesn't want to go to CA with you he can come move in my new digs with me."
At the time I didn't think much about it. I didn't necessarily NOT believe in ghosts, but hadn't seen anything to make me believe either. Sure, strange things had happened, but I wasn't sold on any particular theory as yet. I moved into the trailer, and Mama Virgo moved to CA, and almost right away things started happening.
If you've ever lived in a mobile home you know that you can feel the vibrations in the floor when someone else is walking in the house. I would be sitting back in the bedroom and I swear, you could hear the footsteps, and feel them coming down the hall. Then the bedroom door would open. I couldn't see anyone but could hear the footsteps around the end of the bed, up along side ... then the bi-fold closet doors would open and shut again ... then all would be quiet.
This happened most every day! I checked the doors, of course. The bedroom door was clicked shut. The closet doors weren't just loose. Neither ever opened or shut on their own without the footsteps. I never heard the footsteps that I couldn't "feel" them. There were no vibrations without the "sound" of the footsteps. There was no scary feeling, no coldness, nothing you normally would associate with "ghosts". Didn't take too long before I would just say "Hey Brian" whenever it happened.
A couple came over to party after work one night. I hadn't said anything at work about any of this because, well it sounds crazy you know? They ended up staying the night. When I got up in the morning they both come out of the other bedroom and they kept looking at me funny. I hadn't heard anything myself that night but I knew from the looks on their faces they had.
"Something's really strange here Sally"
"What?"
"Didn't you hear all that last night?"
"No, what did you hear?"
"Somebody was stomping around in the hallway, but when we opened the door no one was there"
Aha, independent confirmation! I wasn't going crazy. I told them the whole story then, of course. They were like wow, but they didn't let it spook them and came to stay often.
I was going away for a weekend once and another friend wanted to know if he and his girlfriend could stay at my house while I was gone. I said sure, but he should be aware that I had a ghost, that he was friendly enough, just don't be surprised if he makes himself known. He just shook his head all yeah, yeah okay.
I came back two days later. His eyes were big as saucers. "You have a ghost!"
"Yeah, I know, I TOLD you that before I left"
"Yeah you did, but I didn't believe you. I just thought, well you know ... "
"Yeah I know, you just thought I'd gone off the deep end"
"Yeah, I just though it was one of those Sally's out there things"
"Well, now you know"
"Yeah, you may be out there ... but you do have a ghost."
Brian was with me until I moved out of that trailer. I don't know where he went then, but it's quite possible he went back to Mama Virgo's. She hadn't stayed in CA too long and was back. I lost touch with her when I moved, so I haven't ever heard.
That was the only time I ever lived with a ghost, although I've gotten "messages" from a couple of others. But I think this is enough "out there" for one day.
Anybody else got any ghost stories they'd like to share?
I got to do Samhain of 2004 and Beltane of 2005 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Quite a party they have there. :)
ReplyDeleteThat would be something I would dearly LOVE to have the opportunity to do. For some reason, as far back as I can remember, Scotland has called to my heartstrings.
ReplyDeleteAnd omg ... that accent! Be still my heart!
I've never had firsthand experience with ghosts, and I don't necessarily believe in them, but like you did before, I don't not believe in them. (Hopefully that makes sense, because it sounds grammatically wrong).
ReplyDeleteThe most supernatural story in the family happened when I was 10. My family lived in Grenoble for 5 months when my dad taught at the University there. There was a local disco that my parents had wanted to visit for a while, and they had planned to go there one weekend near Halloween. The day before they were going to go, my mom got a bad feeling about it, she said something just told her not to go. So instead we went and visited relatives in Italy. The very night they were supposed to go the disco caught fire and over half the patrons died in the fire (fire codes in France in 1970 weren't that strict.) It freaked my mom out a bit, and me too when she later talked about it, because she didn't know why she knew not to go, but still imagined her 4 kids, all 12 or under with little knowledge of French, stuck in a foreign land.
That's not really a ghost story, but it still makes me believe there's more going on around us than we're willing to admit.
Makes sense to me, because I did it first. It's probably not grammatically correct, due to the double negative thing, but since I talk that way I write that way too ;)
ReplyDeleteInteresting story, and it's that kind of thing ... that we have no other explanation for ... that makes me wonder why we're so sure that others are crazy because we can't accept theirs.
i'm skeptical but don't rule it out. I don't have any ghost stories but something in my wants to believe that there is something after death. The graveyard thing is not that strange to me. Graveyards are not scary places and i like walking amongst the monuments and read the inscription. Those people lived, loved , where somebodies loved one and i wonder about some of theses people and their lives.
ReplyDeleteOut there? Yes, I can relate. :)
ReplyDeleteWhere to begin is the question. I suppose I'll go with the first story that came to mind:
When I was in my twenties, I started having recurring dreams about my grandpa, who had died a decade earlier. In the dreams, we were always looking for something. I never knew what it was. I was just filled with this desire to help him find whatever it was that he had misplaced, something that was very important to him.
The dreams continued for months. It wasn't every night, but they really grabbed my attention because, before this experience, I don't recall ever dreaming about my grandpa, and because of the on-going theme.
Eventually, many, many months later, my grandmother came to visit me while I was sleeping. She had left her earthly body only a year or two earlier. After she died, I kept waiting for her to visit me in my sleep, which was further perplexing that only her husband did, and did so in such an odd context.
Anyway, when she came to me, she was standing beside my bed. She was all dolled up, as she was prone to do when she was going somewhere. She had a suitcase in her hand and was simply beaming. She "said", through her energy that she had come to thank me.
When I awoke, I was grateful for the experience, but still confused a bit. It was only later, when the recurring dreams stopped, that I knew deep within me that I had somehow acted as a meeting place for the two of them, that perhaps, she was *lost* when she first passed over, confused, surprised, something? But, had now found her way.
It's very odd to try and type this out. It's so nebulous. I've shared the story with a few people, but I haven't ever attempted to write it. Considering that I haven't yet had all of my morning coffee, I hope it makes sense!
Really enjoyed your story. Thanks for sharing!
This post reminds me of the "Odd Thomas" series of books Dean Koontz has written.
ReplyDeleteGreat story, thank you Sally.
ReplyDeleteI used to do shift work in an office open 24/7. When I was working the night shifts, I used to hear footsteps coming along the corridor. Every night! They always used to stop at the office doorway.
There were a few other little things, like coming past one of the offices in the small hours, and finding a printer in operation. I did find it all a bit scary at first, but realized whatever it was, it never tried to hurt me, and somehow we had to learn to ‘live’ side by side (for want of a better word). So, after a while, we just learned to accept each other.
The enigmatic, masked blogger strikes again
@Twain - I agree. I especially love the old graveyards. They have such a variety and such pretty, artful stones that often have much more information on them than they do these days. And there is such a peaceful, laid back feeling in them.
ReplyDelete@WeaveDreamer - How COOL that you were able to help you grandparents. Beautiful story, thanks for sharing it.
@Just Plain Tired - Dean Koontz I've heard of, but not the Odd Thomas series ... I'll have to check it out.
@Mask - That almost sounds like a haunting, which WOULD be a bit scary at first. They Charleston is supposed to be one of the most haunted cities other than maybe New Orleans. I can't say I've seen the evidence but the stories are fascinating.
*rolls eyes* grrrrh that is They *say* Charleston ...
ReplyDeleteGreat post Sally! I have had some weird and ghostly experiences but my dad beats me by far. I may have to blog about them one day.
ReplyDeleteI've never experienced anything that directly, but I'm not so arrogant as to believe it isn't possible. We simply don't know.
ReplyDeleteNow, the tone of this pic is, frankly, wonderfully resonant. You have a way of saturating your B&W scenes with such stark contrasts. They almost seem to jump out.
Oh, this is WAY cool! I'm glad you sent me over. I'm a little like Mulder... I want to believe... I think I do, but haven't had an experience myself.
ReplyDelete