haunting

The Hidden Entity, Part 2

~ Tara Theresa Hill ~ 4 Comments

Thanks to Gafyn from Swansea, Wales for this story!  You can also read Gafyn’s other stories: Adventures with Ghosts, Haunted Roads in South Wales, and The Hidden Entity Part 1.

Thinking that the incident with whatever negative energy that was in the house was over, Gafyn and Angela brought the kids back home.  A few days later, the youngest child was doing a craft while watching T.V. when suddenly the sellotape went missing.  The family searched all over the living room, only for the tape to mysteriously turn up in the refrigerator hours later.

As if this wasn’t weird enough, other more disconcerting things started to occur.  Money went missing and items were constantly found broken or knocked to the floor.  When the family started arguing over these events, Gafyn responded that “It” wanted them to turn against each other.  A small ornament whizzed through the air missing his head by a millimeter.

Rattled, they called their friends again.  They decided to do an investigation and a house cleansing to get whatever this was out of the house.  Doors were constantly opening on their own.  Something was banging around in the attic.  It was done playing its cruel game of hide and seek.  This thing wanted them to know it was there and that it wasn’t leaving.

The investigation took place while the kids were in school.  Gafyn and his friends went into the back room.  Gafyn’s friend, Colin, began by saying, “Whatever you are, you will eventually have to leave.”  Right after he said this, some invisible force picked him up and threw him aside.  Even though they were terrified, the group knew that they still had to confront this negative force.  Whatever it was, left the bedroom and proceeded to follow them about the house.  The extreme rage and negativity emanating from this being only subsided enough to give it a chance to replenish its energy.

It was clear that they weren’t going to be able to stay there, so Angela started packing while Gafyn and their friends continued the investigation.  The phone rang.  When Angela went to answer it, there was a high-pitched ringing so that neither her or the caller could hear each other.  It turned out that it was her mother calling to tell them to leave the house and to come and stay with her until they could find another place to live.

Suddenly, Gafyn felt like he was about to have a headache.  He remembered being held up by his friends, his partner crying and shouting, “Leave him alone!” but she wasn’t actually yelling at him.  Afterward, he was told that he started growling at Angela and his friends to “Get out.”

The next thing Gafyn knew, they were at Angela’s mother’s house.  He didn’t remember what had happened after his head had started to hurt and his friends had grabbed him by the arms.  They decided to move out of that house as fast as possible.  The children never went back.  They stayed with Angela’s mom while Gafyn, Angela, and their friends got the rest of their belongings.  Even then, the entity kept up its presence, half opening and closing the doors to make sure they knew that it didn’t want them there.  Gafyn said his view of the paranormal changed drastically after this experience.

Dear Readers,

The Ghost Post will be taking a break next week for the July 4th weekend. However, there will be a ghost story on The Spirit Hour on Friday, July 7th. The Ghost Post will resume posting on Monday, July 10th!

I wish everyone a safe and happy July 4th!

Best,

Tara Theresa Hill

Do You Have a Ghost Story?

Send me an email to theghostpostreporter@gmail.com to set up an interview.  I’m always in the mood for a good ghost story! 

Want even more Ghost Stories?

I have launched a new ghost story magazine via Patreon called The Spirit Hour.  I’ll be uploading a new ghost story or the next part of a continuing story every week.  For only one dollar a month, you get complete access to all the stories that I post on Patreon. 

Also, check out The Ghost Post’s new YouTube channel for audio recordings of The Ghost Post.  It’s perfect for camping out, sleepovers, or anytime you just want to hear a ghost story on the go. 

For more ghost stories, paranormal phenomena, and updates, follow Tara Theresa Hill on Facebook and on Twitter at @TaraTheresaHill. 

Get Your Ghost On!

In celebration of The Ghost Post’s 1 Year Anniversary, I have launched a Café Press store featuring The Ghost Post’s official new mascot, Spook.  We’ve got awesome coffee mugs, t-shirts, and more!

 

Spook Giant Coffee Mug
Spook – Coffee Mug – Copyright 2017

 

Advertisement

The Hidden Entity, Part 1

~ Tara Theresa Hill ~ 1 Comment

Thanks to Gafyn from Swansea, Wales for this story!  You can also read Gafyn’s other stories, Adventures with Ghosts and Haunted Roads in South Wales. 

Gafyn is an experienced Medium.  At the time this story took place, he had been working in the paranormal field for many years.  The trouble started when Gafyn and his partner, Angela, rented this big, beautiful house.  It was everything that they had ever wanted.  Gafyn was most interested in the garden and the garage, so he didn’t spend much time in the house before deciding to rent it.  Later, when they were unpacking, Gafyn kept getting the feeling that he was being watched.  Gafyn dismissed this because it didn’t feel particularly menacing and he felt that he would be better able to tune into whatever it was after they were finished settling in.

Ten days passed before the presence decided to make contact.  One night, after the kids were in bed, Gafyn and Angela were sitting on the couch talking and enjoying their new home.  As they turned to kiss, one of the ornaments suddenly fell off the T.V. and broke.  Despite the event, the atmosphere in the room didn’t feel foreboding.  They cleaned up the mess and sat back down, only to hear the pictures shifting.  When they turned back around, all the pictures that lined the staircase were slanted.  These were the first signs of activity.

At around 3:20am that night, Angela woke up screaming from a horrible nightmare.  As Gafyn was trying to comfort her, he heard one of the kid’s bedroom doors close.  The door was not slammed, but it was loud enough to make him decide to go check on the kids.  He looked in on them, only to find that everyone was still sleeping.  Afterward, he went back to bed.  Both he and Angela agreed that while strange things kept happening in the house, neither of them could sense anything.

The next day, Gafyn asked his friends for advice.  They set up a meeting time for 6:30pm that night.  He and his partner made sure that the kids were out of the house for this.  As they entered the house, they were met with a blast of negative energy that made the place feel unnaturally cold.  Whatever had been hiding before was definitely making its presence known now.  Despite their best efforts to warm things up, the place remained ice cold.

As Gafyn was trying to get his thoughts together for what lay ahead, Angela pointed out the window into the garden, and said that she just saw someone in their garage.  Sure enough, their garage door was open, even though Gafyn had locked it earlier.  Leaving Angela safe in the house as a lookout, Gafyn went to go check out the situation in the garden.  As he approached, he heard what sounded like someone picking up one of his big gardening tools.  Before the person could come out, Gafyn kicked the door shut and locked them in.  The lock had not been cut or damaged at all despite someone managing to get inside the garage.  Then he told Angela to call the police.

The police arrived, only to check out the garage to find it empty.  Once back inside, the officers asked, “Who is upstairs?”  When Gafyn replied that he and his partner were the only ones that were home, the police responded that they had seen the upstairs light go on when they were in the garden, so they went to check the back bedroom.  They came back down a few minutes later, commenting on the frigid temperature in the house.  After making sure that everything was secure, the officers took their leave as Gafyn’s friends arrived.  The cops agreed that there was something off about the house and were glad that the group was going to discuss what could be done.

The friends sat down to tea and talked over what was going on in the house.  During this time, the atmosphere became pleasant again and stayed that way for the next couple of days.  One of their neighbors came over and told them about the history of the home.  The prior residents had not had any issues.  However, the man who lived there before them had ended up in a psychiatry ward after jumping out one of the back windows.

Stayed Tuned for Part 2 Next Week!

Do You Have a Ghost Story?

Send me an email to theghostpostreporter@gmail.com to set up an interview.  I’m always in the mood for a good ghost story! 

Want even more Ghost Stories?

For more ghost stories, paranormal phenomena, and updates, follow Tara Theresa Hill on Facebook and on Twitter at @TaraTheresaHill. 

Also, check out The Ghost Post’s new YouTube channel for audio recordings of The Ghost Post.  It’s perfect for camping out, sleepovers, or anytime you just want to hear a ghost story on the go. 

Get Your Ghost On!

In celebration of The Ghost Post’s 1 Year Anniversary, I have launched a Café Press store featuring The Ghost Post’s official new mascot, Spook.  We’ve got awesome coffee mugs, t-shirts, and more!

Spook Giant Coffee Mug
Spook – Coffee Mug – Copyright 2017

 

 

My Cat Sees Orbs

~ Tara Theresa Hill ~ 1 Comment

Orbs are a controversial subject in the paranormal community.  The internet is full of people claiming to have captured an image of an orb in a picture or on video.  Opinions on evidence vary, but they generally fall into three categories: dust, bugs, or other types of light refractions.  I’m not here to make judgements on other people’s experiences or to try to debunk anything.  Everyone must come to their own conclusions about what is real or not.

I do believe that orbs are one way that spirits visibly manifest.  Perhaps this is because it takes less energy to appear as a ball of light than it does to show a fully developed human form.  I have had a few experiences with orbs, both in spirit dreams and while awake.  Many times, I have woken in the middle of the night to find orbs hovering either over or near my bed.  When I see them, they look like glowing, nearly transparent bubbles with a thicker outer ring.  I have seen them in an array of colors including red, pink, yellow, orange, gold, white, silver, and blue.  Sometimes they are even multicolored.  I always question my experiences because I feel that is it healthy to reserve a level of skepticism when facing something out of the ordinary.  However, I keep an open mind to the existence of spirits and have faith that they exist.

One time in college, I woke up to see a large, glowing silver orb floating above my bed.  It was easily bigger than a basketball and was oblong in shape.  My husband, then boyfriend, George, was asleep next to me.  I remember gazing up and feeling positive emotions coming from it, although I don’t remember hearing any specific words.  I watched as it floated over my bed and through the wall next to mine.  Then I went back to sleep.

Another time I saw an orb, I was home alone.  My husband was out running errands.  I was in the bathroom fixing my hair, when my cat, Diana, wandered in behind me.  Like many cats, she loves to follow me around the house.  She sat down on the bathmat to watch me.  As I looked over to her, I noticed her look to the side as if she saw something.  Her eyes were focused in on something, so I followed her gaze.  As I turned, I saw a little golden ball of light zip through the bathroom door.  It was stationary long enough for me to tell that it was there and then it disappeared.  Diana had followed it with her eyes the whole time.

A couple of weeks later, I was in my bedroom when I saw another orb.  It was a cloudy day, so the light in the bedroom was dim.  The blinds were drawn, so there wasn’t much light coming in from outside.  Diana was sitting by my closet, when suddenly she looked up at my ceiling in the same way that she had a few weeks earlier.  I looked up expecting to see a spider or something.  Instead, there was a little ball of light playing near my closet.  It hung around for a few seconds before disappearing.

Each time that I saw the orbs, they looked like little round balls of light, but solid, as if I could have reached out and touched them.  I am intrigued that they appeared in areas of my apartment that I feel have a lot of spirit energy.  The bathroom is a source of water, so it is not unusual to feel spirit energies in that area.  I also think that my closet serves as a type of portal, but that’s another story.

Note on the picture: Yes, those are bubbles in the photo. I used them because this picture was the closest thing that I could find to depict the concept of an orb at this time. 

Do You Have a Ghost Story?

Send me an email to theghostpostreporter@gmail.com to set up an interview.  I’m always in the mood for a good ghost story! 

Want even more Ghost Stories?

For more ghost stories, paranormal phenomena, and updates, follow Tara Theresa Hill on Facebook and on Twitter at @TaraTheresaHill. 

Also, check out The Ghost Post’s new YouTube channel for audio recordings of The Ghost Post.  It’s perfect for camping out, sleepovers, or anytime you just want to hear a ghost story on the go. 

Get Your Ghost On!

In celebration of The Ghost Post’s 1 Year Anniversary, I have launched a Café Press store featuring The Ghost Post’s official new mascot, Spook.  We’ve got awesome coffee mugs, t-shirts, and more!

Spook Giant Coffee Mug
Spook – Coffee Mug – Copyright 2017

The Ghost Post YouTube Channel

~ Tara Theresa Hill ~ Leave a comment

Dear Readers,

Great news!  The Ghost Post is available on YouTube!  Now you can listen to a ghost story on your way to work, while you’re working out, or wherever your adventures take you.  They’re perfect for camping and sleepovers, too.  Remember, you always have time for a good ghost story and a cup of coffee or tea.

Hope you enjoy the stories!

Tara Theresa Hill

Do You Have a Ghost Story?

Send me an email to theghostpostreporter@gmail.com to set up an interview.  I’m always in the mood for a good ghost story! 

Want even more Ghost Stories?

For more ghost stories, paranormal phenomena, and updates, follow Tara Theresa Hill on Facebook and on Twitter at @TaraTheresaHill. 

Also, check out The Ghost Post’s new YouTube channel for audio recordings of The Ghost Post.  It’s perfect for camping out, sleepovers, or anytime you just want to hear a ghost story on the go. 

Get Your Ghost On!

In celebration of The Ghost Post’s 1 Year Anniversary, I have launched a Café Press store featuring The Ghost Post’s official new mascot, Spook.  We’ve got awesome coffee mugs, t-shirts, and more!

Spook Giant Coffee Mug
Spook – Giant Coffee Mug – Copyright 2017

Do Not Disturb

~ Tara Theresa Hill ~ Leave a comment

Sometimes my husband and I have shared paranormal experiences.  This is a story about something that happened to us when we were in college together.  To read more about Father William, please see Dorming With Ghosts: The Many Spirits of Marillac Hall. 

In keeping with last week’s post, I wanted to share another event that occurred in Marillac Hall a few months after the séance.  Sometimes Marillac could get so quiet that you would feel like someone was watching you.  Whenever I was alone studying in my room or staying up late writing a paper in the small lounge downstairs, the silence would get eerie.

Marillac is situated at the bottom of Marillac Hill.  You get a marvelous view of the Hudson River right from the front door.  Removed from the majority of campus traffic, Marillac offers a place of solitude for both students and spirits alike.  Neither the dead, nor the living appreciate noisy neighbors.  If you wouldn’t want a ghost banging doors and stomping around to all hours of the night, then be assured that the spirits would like some peace too.

My roommate and I had a large room that had originally been a lounge.  In terms of size, it was one of the biggest dorm rooms on campus.  The suites surrounding us were smaller, single rooms that were connected by a short hallway that included a private bathroom.  I had to go up an additional set of stairs to get to my room on the fourth floor.  Being it was separated from the rest of the building, it was naturally quieter up there.

While the rest of the dorms are more modern in style, Marillac Hall was designed to look like a stone mansion complete with two separate wings.  On my side, there were two main ways to get to the first floor.  The most direct route was to go down a narrow hallway that passed by a room that was used as a storage closet.  In the previous post, I told you about Father William.  He is the spirit of a priest who used to teach mathematics at the college.  He supposedly haunts this room because he lived there when he was alive.  Since the séance, we had routinely said “Hi” to Father William whenever we passed by his door.

George, who was my boyfriend at the time, lived in another dorm on campus. Since he was not a resident, I had to escort him to the bathroom and take him downstairs when he was ready to sign out.  One night, I was walking him out when we heard a lot of commotion coming from the third floor.  Someone was having a party, but the music was too loud and there was screaming and shouting going on too.  It was already midnight and quiet hours were supposed to start at 10pm.

“I wonder why the RA hasn’t said anything about the noise level,” I said.

“Well, maybe the priest’s ghost will do something about it.”  George grinned mischievously as we approached the hallway to Father William’s door.  “Go get them, Father,” he said.

“That’s not funny, George.  Stop kidding around.”

Just then we heard a loud creak.  We stood petrified as the door to the hall’s storage closet slowly swung open on its own.

“Nice going,” I said to George.  “You summoned him.”  I made George turn around and go back so that we could use the other stairwell.  After that incident, I always took the side route through the dorm’s kitchen at night to avoid going by the haunted room.

If you have a real ghost story that you would like to share with The Ghost Post, send me an email to theghostpostreporter@gmail.com to set up an interview.  I’m always in the mood for a good ghost story! 

For more ghost stories, paranormal phenomena, and updates, follow Tara Theresa Hill on Facebook and on Twitter at @TaraTheresaHill.

Want to show off your passion for ghosts with a little fashion flair?  In celebration of The Ghost Post’s 1 Year Anniversary, I have launched a Café Press store featuring The Ghost Post’s official new mascot, Spook. 

Dorming with Ghosts: The Many Spirits of Marillac Hall

~ Tara Theresa Hill ~ 3 Comments

Ouija boards are the subject of much controversy.  Having grown up with a psychic mother, I am pretty comfortable using them, although I know that it is wise to take some precautions, such as lighting a white candle and placing a chalice or bowl of water nearby to help attract positive spirits.  I had some spectacular experiences with ghosts during my years at the College of Mount Saint Vincent, especially at Marillac Hall.

I lived in Marillac Hall in my Junior year.  I’m glad that I had a roommate because I don’t think that I would have been brave enough to live there on my own.  The oldest building on campus, Marillac was built in the late 1800s.  My college always had a lot of fun hosting haunted houses and ghost tours for Halloween.  After getting permission from the Residence Director, I invited my mother and a friend up to do a Ouija board séance at Marillac Hall.

I was standing downstairs in the lounge, waiting for my mother to arrive.  Suddenly, I heard a tapping sound.  Looking up, I saw a face grinning back at me through the porch door’s window.  I must have jumped ten feet high.  The woman on the other side of the doorway laughed hysterically.

“Very funny, Mom,” I chided her.  “You have to come in the front door.  The porch is always kept locked.”  She nodded and I went around to get her and our family friend, Artie, signed in under me.  Artie, also known as Lord Tammuz, is another elder of the Craft in New York City.  He and my mom have been friends for many years and they are used to doing the Ouija board together.  Mom, Artie, and I spent some time catching up while we waited for people to arrive for the event.

Once everyone was there, I introduced Mom and Artie to the group.  Mom explained how we were going to respectfully ask any spirits who were around if they wished to communicate.  This was not going to be an aggressive event where we tried to coerce spirits into making contact.  While there were never any guarantees that spirits would decide to come thorough the board, Mom was hopeful that there would be a high level of activity that night because it was Halloween.  The veil between the Spirit World and the living is thinnest on Halloween night, which is also known as Samhain in Wiccan traditions.

Due to fire safety precautions, we could not light any candles, but Mom said that was okay.  She didn’t think we would run into any negative spirits.  The Mount is a peaceful, holy place.  CMSV was founded by the Sisters of Charity and Marillac Hall has a tiny chapel located on the first floor where the Sisters sometimes hold special, private prayer sessions.

We turned down the lights, keeping only the low lamps on so that we could see the board clearly.  Mom and Artie did the board while I recorded the words that the spirits spelled out.  The first spirit that came through was a gentleman from the 1940s.  His wife had attended the College of Mount Saint Vincent back when it was still a women’s college.  He had fond memories of visiting her here while they were courting.  They had gotten married after she graduated.

The room that we were doing the Ouija board reading in is known as the “Engagement Room.”  Mom and Artie didn’t know this, but my classmates and I did because we knew the history of the building.  When the school was still exclusively for women, male visitors weren’t allowed to go upstairs to visit their girlfriends.  The front desk attendant would escort the gentleman caller into the “Engagement Room” to wait.  Then they would let the young lady know that she had a visitor.

The second spirit that came through was a priest with a heavy Irish brogue named Father William.  During his life, he had resided on campus and taught mathematics.  This was reflected in the friendly, but professorial manner in which he addressed us.  He told us that many spirits chose to “haunt” CMSV, but not in the negative sense.  Very few, if any were stuck there.  Rather, the positive experiences that they had at the Mount forged a bond with the place that kept them coming back to visit long after they had gone to the light.

Father William went on to explain that sometimes spirits returning for a visit would be surprised by the changes that the Mount had undergone in their absence.  His former abode was now a large broom closet.  One of my classmates gasped, “Are you the ghost that haunts the storage closet on the third floor whose door always opens up on its own?”

“Aye,” Father William spelled out.

“Why do you stay there?” we asked.

“The landlord hates me,” he responded.  Then Father William told us all to study hard and said that he had to be going because there were other spirits who wanted to come through the board.

A couple of other spirits came through.  One commented on a student’s velvet curtains and said that she could leave them open if she ever wanted to see the ghosts that congregate on the balcony outside her window at night.  Just like the porch, the balcony had been sealed off many years before and students were forbidden to climb out onto it, even if their windows overlooked it.  The young woman shook her head, “After this, I’m always keeping them closed.”

Then the last spirit of the night arrived.  This one was a female from the 1950s.  “Hi, gang!” she chirped out over the board.  She introduced herself as K.M.  “I love Marillac!  I have a monument here.”  We all looked at each other.  As far as my classmates and I knew, there was no monument to any student on campus.  We were curious about how she had died.

K.M. grew sad.  “I did something foolish that led to an accident.”

“What did you do?” we asked.

She spelled out one word.  “Dumbwaiter.”  She had apparently climbed inside of one and the resulting accident had led to her death.

I nodded.  “Oh…That must be why all of the old dumbwaiters in the building are sealed up now.”

The spirit circled “YES” on the board.

We were all silent for a moment.  Then one of the students asked, “Where is your monument?”

K.M. responded, “In here.  Turn on the light.”

We didn’t understand what she meant, so we kept turning on and off lights for a few minutes.  We didn’t see any monument though.  It was close to midnight at this point, so we had to bring the event to a close.  We all said goodbye to K.M.  Then Mom thanked the spirits for joining us and closed out the session.  As we were cleaning up, Mom noticed something behind a tall lamp.  The lampshade had been hiding a brass plaque that was attached to the wall.  The initials of the person who the plaque commemorated were K.M. from the Class of 1955.

You can read more about the hauntings of CMSV in the following Ghost Posts: A Strange Welcome: Marillac Hall, Part 1, I Thought I was Alone: Marillac Hall, Part 2, The Ghost of Marillac Hill, Legends of CMSV: Sarah’s Story, and The Ghost Chase.

If you have a real ghost story that you would like to share with The Ghost Post, send me an email to theghostpostreporter@gmail.com to set up an interview.  I’m always in the mood for a good ghost story! 

For more ghost stories, paranormal phenomena, and updates, follow Tara Theresa Hill on Facebook and on Twitter at @TaraTheresaHill.

Spook
“Spook” – Artwork by Mara Cordova, Copyright The Ghost Post –  April 2017

Want to show off your passion for ghosts with a little fashion flair?  In celebration of The Ghost Post’s 1 Year Anniversary, I have launched a Café Press store featuring The Ghost Post’s official new mascot, Spook. 

Ghost Friends

~ Tara Theresa Hill ~ 2 Comments

Thanks to Holly Bell for this story! 

One of the warnings that is given to paranormal investigators and ghost hunters who are just starting out in the field is never to invite spirits to follow you home.  This is so that the spirit does not become attached to the person.  The idea is that you would not invite a total stranger into your home without caution and since ghosts are the souls of people who have passed on, you do not want to encourage them to take up residence with you either.  Unless you know the spirit well or have a previous relationship with the person from when they were alive, it’s generally not considered wise to let them into your sacred space.  However, just as with everything, there are some exceptions to this rule.

Holly Bell is a clairaudient paranormal investigator.  Although she has seen apparitions, she mostly hears whispers and collects EVPs.  Holly started her paranormal investigation group about five years ago with another friend of hers who is also an empath.  You can check out her paranormal videos on YouTube.

A couple of years ago, Holly was investigating her former professor’s home.  The professor had lived peacefully in the building for years.  When he became empathic and psychically aware after a near-death experience, he started noticing that his old house was full of ghosts.  Unfortunately, he was terrified of them and decided to sell the place.  Before the deal was closed, he asked Holly to come over and investigate.

After Holly had been in the house a few minutes, the professor asked, “Well?  Why are they here?  What do they want?”

“They want to know why you hate them.  They don’t mean you any harm,” Holly answered.  “Even though they’re dead, they’re just peacefully living out their afterlife here.”

As she continued to explore the house, a young female spirit approached Holly.  The spirit said her name was Sarafina.  She wore a dress that looked like something from the Little House on The Prairie books.  Holly estimated that she was from the 1800s.  The little girl ghost had played with the professor’s niece when she visited, but since he was going to be leaving soon, she was going to be all alone.  The spirit did not seem ready to move on to the light.  During the visit, Holly took a liking to Sarafina and invited her to come home with her instead.

Another time, Holly was doing an investigation in Sacramento Historic City Cemetery in California when she came across the spirit of a cavalry soldier.  He introduced himself as John.  When she was leaving the area where he was, he called for her to come back.  Perhaps he wasn’t stuck haunting the cemetery and might have just been passing through because he decided to follow her home.  Holly has had readings with two other psychics who have confirmed this spirit by name.  John is not ready to cross over and has taken up the role of protecting Holly.

If you have a real ghost story that you would like to share with The Ghost Post, send me an email to theghostpostreporter@gmail.com to set up an interview.  I’m always in the mood for a good ghost story! 

For more ghost stories, paranormal phenomena, and updates, follow Tara Theresa Hill on Facebook and on Twitter at @TaraTheresaHill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Back Room

~ Tara Theresa Hill ~ 1 Comment

When I was a little girl, Grandpa Freddie lived in the basement apartment of my Aunt Marianne’s house.  I knew that Grandpa’s wife, Tessie, had passed away three years before I was born.  Grandpa Freddie wasn’t happy talking about Grandma Tessie, so I would pester my mother for stories about her.  Mom told me that Grandma Tessie loved reading, bird-watching, singing, and helping people.  Tessie was a family nickname for Theresa.  Mom said it was too painful to name me after her mother, so she gave me “Theresa” as a middle name instead.

Grandpa Freddie watched me after school and on weekdays during summer vacation.  For some reason, I was always scared of the back room by the kitchen.  The bathroom was located at the end of the small room where they kept the washer and dryer.  It was almost always dark in the back room and I was convinced that something was waiting to grab me.  I would come out of the bathroom and rush through the archway to get back to Grandpa’s kitchen.

At some point, I concluded that if there was a ghost there, it was probably Grandma Tessie.  If that was true, then I shouldn’t be afraid of her.  She was an ancestral spirit and if anything, she would be protective of me.  I stopped running out of the bathroom area, but there was still a sad atmosphere about the place.  Sometimes I would even get the sensation of being watched.

I later learned that the watched feeling might have been an electromagnetic field caused by the washer and dryer, but somehow, I was not convinced.  Years after Grandpa Freddie died, I told my mother about the strange vibes that I would get in the back room.  Then Mom told me this story.

One day, when she was already sick with cancer, Grandpa found Grandma Tessie passed out in the bathroom.  When he tried to pick her up, he saw that she was dead and in his fright, he started shaking her and calling her name.  Miraculously, she came out of it and he took her to the hospital.  She eventually passed away some months later.

Residual hauntings occur when there is no consciousness behind the paranormal activity.  It is the remaining energy imprint from either a repetitive event or a tragedy that took place, not an individual soul that can interact with people.  I did not know that my grandmother had almost died in the bathroom by the back room and yet, I always felt odd in that area.  I think that I picked up on the intense energy that my grandfather must have left behind in that room when he found his wife dying.

What do you think?  Could this be a type of residual haunting?  Have you or someone you know ever experienced a residual haunting before?  Let me know in the comments.

If you have a real ghost story that you would like to share with The Ghost Post, send me an email to theghostpostreporter@gmail.com to set up an interview.  I’m always in the mood for a good ghost story! 

For more ghost stories, paranormal phenomena, and updates, follow Tara Theresa Hill on Facebook and on Twitter at @TaraTheresaHill.

The Haunting of The Royalton Hotel

~ Tara Theresa Hill ~ 4 Comments

Lady Rhea was contacted in 1991 to do a séance for the Royalton Hotel in New York City. They had had complaints about an aggressive spirit haunting the hotel and the staff were curious if she could make contact with the spirit. Rhea agreed to look into the matter and enlisted her two close friends, Tony and Raven, to help her.

On the assigned date, Rhea, Raven, and Tony arrived at the Royalton Hotel to conduct the séance. They were led to a small hotel room on the second floor. Rhea and Raven worked the Ouija Board, while Tony recorded the responses. Nine staff members joined them for the séance making a total of twelve people in the room.

At first, they had sporadic contact with several energies. The spirit of a little boy came through the board asking if anyone had seen his mother. After the young boy left, heavy footsteps could be heard walking outside the door in the hallway. Then they felt the presence of a male spirit enter the room. Rhea got the impression that he was a finely dressed, tall man with dark hair. He had a gruff voice and a tough guy attitude.

“What is your name?” asked Rhea.

“William Rose,” he spelt out on the board.

One of the hotel staff jumped up, “As in Billy Rose?”

The pointer circled the word “YES” rapidly. “Ooh, he’s cranky,” said Raven. “Do you know him?” asked Rhea. The staff member swallowed. “We know of him. He used to live here back in the days when the place was a residential hotel.”

Rhea turned back to the board. “Are you the ghost haunting this floor?” The spirit moved the pointer to “YES” again. Now that the spirit had fully established his presence, he started calling out staff members in the room and asking them questions.

“Where’s Red?” he asked. Red was the nickname for a manager who was supposed to be on call that night, but had called out of work. “Why do you want to know?” asked Rhea. William responded back smartly, “I wanted to talk to him.” The room fell silent.

Next, William indicated a female worker that was in the room and said, “I’ve seen you taking a nap in room 307.” The woman’s eyes went wide. “Well, I’ll never lay down in there again,” she said.

“Okay. I have some questions for you now. Would you be willing to answer them for me?” asked Rhea. William said that he would. “Why do you push people in the hall?” asked Rhea. William smirked, “Cause they’re stepping on my newspaper. Next question.”

“Why aren’t you moving on to the light? Are you stuck? Do you need help?”

William answered solemnly, “I’m waiting for Edie.”

It was around one in the morning by this point, so Rhea wrapped up the séance. On the way home, Rhea, Raven, and Tony were questioning what had happened that night. Raven was driving, Rhea was up front in the passenger seat, and Tony was in the back. They were driving by the side of a cliff on Wendover Road when all three were overwhelmed by the scent of roses and the car went into a 360-degree spin.

“Stop it, Raven!” screamed Rhea, thinking Raven had spun the wheel too hard on the turn.

“It’s not me,” shouted Raven.

Just as quickly as it started, the car stopped. The scent of roses disappeared. There were no roses growing along the highway. It was a clear night. The roads were clean, there wasn’t any ice or rain, and they hadn’t driven over an oil spill. Rhea felt that William Rose had spun the car and made it smell like roses to show them that he was real. A few months later, Rhea mentioned the incident to one of her clients. The customer said that she knew the Edie who William Rose was referring to. Edie was elderly and had recently moved into a nursing home. William was waiting for her to pass on, so that they could move on into the light together.

Picture for Royalton Hotel Article - Public Domain Archive
Public Domain Archive

If you have a real ghost story that you would like to share with The Ghost Post, send me an email to theghostpostreporter@gmail.com to set up an interview.

I’m always in the mood for a good ghost story! 

For more ghost stories, paranormal phenomena, and updates, follow Tara Theresa Hill on Facebook and on Twitter at @TaraTheresaHill.

 

 

 

Haunted Roads in South Wales

~ Tara Theresa Hill ~ 2 Comments

Thanks to Gafyn from Swansea, Wales for this story!  You can also read Gafyn’s first story, Adventures with Ghosts. 

Gafyn grew up in Cilfynydd, Pontypridd in South Wales.  The area is known for high levels of spirit activity.  This is thought to be partially due to The Albion Disaster, a devastating mine explosion that killed “290 men and boys” in June, 1894.  For more information on The Albion Disaster, please see, “Albion Colliery: The Forgotten Mining Disaster” by Rhiannon Beacham of BBC News.

One day when Gafyn was in his late teens, an older friend of his invited him out for a drive.  The friend would not reveal anything about where they were going, but Gafyn sensed that it had something to do with the paranormal.  Sometimes his friends liked to see if Gafyn could pick up on ghosts that were in the area.  It was all in fun, so Gafyn decided to go along with it.

They had been out for a while when a car appeared behind them.  It seemed to come from out of nowhere.  Gafyn thought that it looked like a Ford Capri.  The car was close on their tail.  Trying to shake it off, his friend started swerving, but the car kept up with them the whole time.  That was when they noticed two other things.  The car behind them was not making any noise as it sped along the road and the car had no one inside of it.

Then just as suddenly as the car had first shown up, it disappeared again.  The road that they were driving on was a single road with tall hedges on either side.  There were no gaps for a car to turn off the road.  Gafyn and his friend went back to see if they could find the car, but came back empty-handed.  They scanned the area for skid marks or tire tracks and found none.  They drove back to where the mysterious car had originally appeared and still couldn’t locate it.

Figuring it would be easier to search the area when it was light out, Gafyn returned the next day.  After another fruitless endeavor, he stopped by The Queen’s Head, a well-known local pub.  Gafyn told his story to the bartender and discovered that many people had come in over the years to report a car crash where the vehicle vanishes and is never found.

Other strange things are known to happen in Gafyn’s neighborhood after dark.  Sometimes a little girl appears walking along the road looking lost.  People will stop in their cars to give her a lift.  Then as they are driving her back home, she suddenly disappears from the back seat of the car.  Gafyn once ran into a couple who had just experienced this and were frantically searching the road for the missing child.  Gafyn explained the legend to them and they felt better about it, albeit a bit spooked.

To read more about Gafyn’s adventures, check out Gaf’s Other Interests on Facebook.

If you have a real ghost story that you would like to share with The Ghost Post, send me an email to theghostpostreporter@gmail.com to set up an interview.

I’m always in the mood for a good ghost story! 

For more ghost stories, paranormal phenomena, and updates, follow Tara Theresa Hill on Facebook and on Twitter at @TaraTheresaHill.