Do you believe in Ghosts?

Thought I’d rerun this one for Halloween – please add your stories!

Well? It’s almost Halloween so it’s a legitimate question. Have you ever had an encounter? Since I wrote a ghost story, I guess I have to confess that I do believe in them. And yes, I’ve had a couple of encounters.  ghost

Being so close to Halloween I’m going to share. The first one I was only twelve. My grandmother that lived with us had passed away recently. I was in bed and heard something in the formal living room. I mean, I really heard something enough that I got up and woke Daddy to tell him. My hearing was very good, so he got up and checked. Nothing, no one in the house besides the family, so I went back to bed.

But the sound woke me up again and when I opened my eyes. My grandmother was standing at the foot of the bed. I panicked big time and again made off for Daddy. Fortunately I had the world’s best Daddy and when I told him what was going on, he nodded. “That’s probably who was in the living room. Donna, she checked on you every night after you went to bed. What’s the problem?” Put it all in perspective and I went back to bed. Did I tell you he was cool?

halloween tree

The next time I was in college and had rented an apartment with three other girls for the summer to work in the same town as the university. I had to get up and leave earlier than my roommate and had gotten dressed in the bathroom as usual to try to keep quiet. When I reached for the doorknob, I drew my hand back scared to death. I knew there was something evil on the other side of that door (and I’m NOT talking the roommate). I was frozen, but a few minutes later the feeling went away and I was able to get out.  That day at work, (I was a temp at an engineering company) I was sitting at a spare desk that was up against and faced the wall. No view at all, but I was typing so it didn’t matter. Without anyone coming near me (and remember no one could go around the front of the desk) the electric typewriter power cord wrapped itself around my leg – three loops. I hadn’t moved. I didn’t know anyone well enough there to say anything, so I sat silent until that evil feeling went away again, then I unwrapped my leg.  I guess I didn’t react like it wanted and I’ve never felt it again. I’m not sorry.

So I wrote Wraith’s Heart– a ghost story from the perspective of the ghost. I can see Daddy’s influence here as well.  Here’s a little excerpt – WraithsHeart_finalCover

Ryan let himself into the apartment. Gail hurried behind him. He’d brought her case home again, even though he’d had to work on some other stuff during the afternoon.

It seemed to her as though he wanted to be alone with the case. Away from all the distractions and everyone at work, like she belonged to him. She had to be projecting but it felt good.

Gail realized watching the video from the hotel had unnerved her. It was her, no mistake but it was all gone from her mind. Why had she straightened up? What had she seen? Obviously not something close enough for Mr. Sanders to pay attention. No car? Someone else walking around? Someone else who stayed out of the lights from the hotel?

Ryan dropped his bag inside the door and headed for the kitchen. As he passed the remote, he flipped on the TV but didn’t turn to watch anything.

He heated up the rest of last night’s dinner and carried it over to the couch. He turned the TV off a few minutes later and shook his head in disgust.

“What?” She hadn’t been paying attention and knew he couldn’t hear her, but the question came without thought.

“Not a word, not a friggin’ word about the murder of a beautiful young woman. The city council took the whole broadcast and they’re all idiots!” Ryan ran a hand through his hair. “Fuck.”

Startled she sat on one of the stools at the bar as he unbuttoned his shirt and headed for the bedroom. He was angry. Angry because she wasn’t the top news? He cared about her, well the case anyway. She couldn’t move.

Okay, what was he doing in there? She had to know.

He did pushups again and damn! His body was beautiful. Was he working off anger? His hair grew damp from sweat and the ferocity of his workout seemed a lot more intense.

She didn’t know what to think.  She took a seat at the foot of the bed, Indian-style and watched.

Her eyes widened as he stripped off the t-shirt and shucked the boxers. Holy Bob . . . He stepped into the shower not waiting for it to heat up. He wasted no time washing and quickly dried off. He slipped into the bed and set his alarm for five a.m.

Five? Shit, that was early. Okay, it didn’t really affect her anymore but it still sounded early. He didn’t even bother to pick up his book tonight, merely turned off the light and rolled over. She could see him well enough with the little light coming through the window. He seemed restless and she worried about him ever getting to sleep. He turned over once more, flinging his arm across the other pillow and she rose from her seat at the far end of the bed.

He couldn’t feel her, at least not as a cold spot but he had held her last night. She crawled in beside him and lay her head in the crook of his arm. He seemed to sigh and turn toward her, slipping finally into a more peaceful sleep.

Gail made a conscious decision not to analyze that and made herself comfortable against him. No hardship to be pressed against his body. She might not be a real comfort to him, but he certainly was to her.

****

Added 10/23/15 – some famous female ghosts – Spooky Girls…

12 thoughts on “Do you believe in Ghosts?

  1. Way back when, I was house-hunting, got into the front door, and asked the owner, “Is this house haunted?” Dunno why I asked. Her jaw dropped and she said, “How’d you know?”

    I went to a Rembrandt show at the NC Museum of Art last year, and as I was admiring one of the paintings, it was as if someone stood behind me and acknowledged my thoughts that this had been primarily an assistant’s doing. The presence was quite proud (and justifiably so). “Yes, that’s my work.” A few weeks ago I was at an exhibit in Massachusetts, and one of the artists (dead for at least 100 years) stood by my side to comment on a painting. His was a much fuzzier presence.

    Finally, about three weeks after my father died last December, I was zoning out, driving the highway, and he suddenly appeared before me, dancing a WWII-era dance. It was as if someone had opened a window, and a shaft of pure joy shone through. My dad danced when he was very happy. The vision lasted for only a few moments, but it was very clear in both imagery and all that joy.

    • Isn’t it wonderful! I’m accumulating these stories – who knows where they’ll go. But I’ll always remember, Daddy was right, Momma Corey did check on me every night. How thrilling to meet the artists!

  2. Chilling. I can’t remember any scary ghosts or spirits, but a year after my sister died, my daughter who lives in Germany was in the hospital and I couldn’t get to her. Last minute airfare was too expensive. I was worried sick and trying to get to sleep. My husband had fallen asleep on the sofa so it was just me and the dog. I felt something touch my hand and thought it was my dog. But when I opened my eyes, the dog was behind me and my sister was sitting in a chair by my bed. In live, she had a a degenerative condition that put her in a wheelchair when she was 21. But she was whole and well and only sitting in the chair wo I would more readily recognize her. She smiled, touched my hand again and said, “I just wanted to say hello and let you know everything is going to be okay.” I blinked the sleep from my eyes and she was gone. A few hours later, a phone call woke me up. It was my daughter. She’d had emergency surgery to remove her appendix and was being treated for sepsis caused by peritonitis she contracted after a medical procedure she’d had a week earlier. She was already feeling better and on the road to recovery. So yes. I believe in ghosts.

  3. The 1st story. When I was 5 years old , alittle girl was standing across from me, near a pond. She kept saying to me.”Becareful ,don’t fall in, becareful, don’t fall in. Then she was gone. Someone told me later that a little girl had died there.
    2nd story.My brother was renting a house, and I was checking out the attic. I could feel that a little boy was there. I felt like he was looking for his mother. Later my sister- in-law said that the little boy would hide her car keys . She had to tell him to bring them back.And he would a few minutes later, placing them on the counter. 3rd story,same house,same day. I was also checking out the basement. When I open the door I knew something wasn’t right.At the bottom of the stairs was a young man,dark hair and eyes. He smiled up at me then said. “I’ve been waiting for you, I darn you to come down.” I said ,”I don’t think so.” and closed the door. I said to my sister-in-law,” I wouldn’t buy this house, too many ghosts.” She said her sister also met the ghost in the basement too. They moved. Happy Halloween

  4. I’ve never seen a ghost, but I have no doubt at all that they are real and I’d be thrilled to see either of my parents at any time – and several others who have passed too. I’ve read Wraith’s Heart and I loved it. I hope others will take the time to read this ‘different’ POV for a ghost story.

  5. Yes, I believe in ghosts. I haven’t seen one but my husband saw his brother the night after he died standing at the end of the bed – he was just making sure everyone was OK. Also, the previous owner of our house would come and sit in the corner of our dining room – couldn’t see her but knew she was there driving my dog nuts.

  6. First of all…I never believed in ghosts. That said, a couple years ago, my husband and I were at a conference at Nemacolin Resort in PA. We were skeet shooting. It was my turn and while I was shooting, I looked behind us to see a young boy, maybe 10ish, watching us. When I was finished, maybe 1 minute later, I looked back and the boy was gone. I asked my husband where he went. He asked me “who?”. I told him “The boy who was watching us shoot.” He said he did not see anyone watching us. We looked up and down the road behind us, and no one was there. After that experience, I now believe. Before my mom died, 5 years ago, I asked her to let me know after she died that she was OK. I have still not gotten this message. Perhaps, she thinks I will die of a heart attack if she presents herself to me…lol. Perhaps I am not ready or open to this yet.

    • I think we come to it when we’re able. I know going to the Pearl Harbor monument I felt it and could see when others who didn’t expect it caught it too. Do you dream of your mother? That’s a good way for her to come to you. Good luck and thanks!

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