ParaOct28

Issue date: Saturday, October 28, 2006
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P A R A N O R M A L I N S I D E R
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Hi Readers! Well, the spookiest night of the year is almost here! The 31st is the eve of Samhain and therefore New Year's Eve for Wiccans and many Pagans, and it's All Hallow's Eve for Christians around the world. The spirits of those who have gone before will be very near, and along with wide-spread ceremonies and rituals to honor the departed, the streets will be filled with otherworldy creatures of all sorts: those you can easily see, and maybe many that you can't!

After the parties and trick or treating, some of you might be looking for some spine-tingling stories to tell, so tuck the little ones into bed if you don't want to frighten them, turn down the lights, and delve into some ghostly encounters that just might give you some spooky thrills and chills. We'll start with the story of The Jacket, and then I will share some recent submissions from our readers that may have you pulling your blankets over your head at night!

The Jacket

Many years ago, late one autumn night, a young man was driving home when he noticed a girl waiting beneath a street lamp at a bus stop. The man, having a kind heart, was concerned that the buses might not even be running this late at night so he pulled over and asked the girl if he could give her a ride. She accepted gratefully and got into the car. She told the man her name was Mary, as she curled up in the seat, shivering from the cold, damp night air. The man gave her his jacket to warm her, and after getting her address, he drove her right to her front door and dropped her off. The hour had gotten very late, so the tired young man was happy to head back to his own home.

It wasn't until the next morning that he noticed his jacket was missing and realized that of course, he had forgotten to get it back from his passenger last night. Well, there was nothing to do but to drive back to the girl's house and claim his jacket, so he got in the car and found her house again. He went up to the front door and knocked, and was greeted by an older woman. The man explained that he had brought the young lady home last night and that he had come back to get a jacket that he had lent her.

The woman just stared at him for several long moments, and then said that such a thing was impossible. The man, thoroughly confused, repeated his story, all the while standing in the doorway, when he spied a picture hanging just over the woman's shoulder in the front hallway. It was a picture of the girl he had given a ride to the night before. He pointed at it, saying, "But that is the girl! That's Mary! I drove her home here just last night!"

The woman just shook her head, and in a fear-filled voice said, "That is not possible. Yes, that is my daughter, but she has been dead for many years. I don't know who you are and what you want, but if you don't believe me, you can drive to the cemetery up the road and see for yourself! Now, I think it's time you go!"

The man was shaken and totally confused by now. Saying an awkward good-bye, he hurried back to his car and after a minute or two, decided that he would do exactly as the woman had suggested and go out to the cemetery. He found it easily enough, but had no idea how he would locate this girl he was looking for. Nevertheless, he knew he had to start walking and solve this mystery once and for all. The gloomy atmosphere and autumn air were sending cold chills through him as he trudged past the first rows of gravestones, wondering all the while if he had gone totally crazy. Only a moment later, he froze in his tracks. There was something very odd looking on a grave just a few steps away, nestled amongst some wind-tossed leaves. Realizing right away what it was, he ran the last few steps. There was his jacket, neatly folded up on the ground, lying beneath a headstone bearing the name Mary.

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Ghostly Visitors

Our family has been involved with ghosts and "other phenomenon" since I
was about 3 or 4 years old (I am now 32). My aunt has had her dead
husband come to visit her on several occasions. He appeared to her in a
full length mirror; he has hovered over her bed and literally scared the
mess out of her.

My 12 year old daughter has brought her "friends" home with her since she
was 3. Christine would spend a few days with my parents and come home
talking about Charles (she had done this a lot). I blew her off thinking
that he was her imaginary friend, until one night the kids crawled into
bed with my hubby and me. Well, I woke up about 2:30 the next
morning to see my baby son (2 at the time) crawl over my feet and head to
his bedroom. I turned over to nudge my hubby to follow Russell out the
room and there were my kids sound asleep in the middle of the bed. I
thought it was cool and scary at the same time.

I could go on and on about things like this, but I will save those for
later. I will tell you this much though. We found out about a year ago
that our apartment complex sits on an old orphanage's property. My mom
is always having sightings of small kids in her home.

Thanks,
Melissa

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Eileen

My family and I lived in an old house in Wisconsin that was built in the 1880s. The woman who lived there before us was a spinster with no living relatives. She was 98 when I met her for the first time. My uncle had bought the property and Eileen, the old lady, gave my uncle power of attorney over her affairs. When she reached 99 her health began to seriously fail. My uncle put her in a nursing home. She said if he did she was going to die and if she died she'd come back.

Well, she died. We moved into her house after cleaning out her lifetime of accumulations. She was a pack rat and never threw anything away.

Anyway, one day at dusk as my family and I were working in the garden at the rear of the house we saw the light come on in the spare room upstairs. We saw the figure of a woman moving around up there. In that room my aunt had put all the antiques that Eileen had kept. The room was locked from the outside by a padlock.

I went up to check to see if my aunt was in the room. The padlock was on the door and yet I could hear someone moving around in the room. There was no other way to get into that room.

I went back downstairs and saw the figure was still moving around. Then we all saw the figure disappear at the same time it reached up to pull the string to turn off the light.

No live person could have been in that room.

We had other experiences with Eileen's ghost, for that was who it turned out to be. If you would like I could recount the other experiences.

The reason why I wrote is because you were talking about ghosts appearing at dusk and this happened at dusk.

a reader

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The Uninvited Visitor

I went to a throwback costume party with a couple who are friends of
mine. The party was fun, and since it was near their home, I decided to
stay the night and sleep on their couch. They live in an old part of
town here in Colorado Springs known as Old Colorado City. I stayed at
the party a bit longer than them, and they arranged to leave the door
unlocked for me so I could simply walk in and go to sleep on their
couch (the living room is immediately there when you walk in the front
door).

I made my way to their house around 2-3 am, and being exhausted, I laid
right down on the couch. My face and front of my body was facing the
wall, and the back part of the couch. In other words, the front of my
body was facing the part of the couch one would normally put their back
against while sitting, and the back part of my body was exposed toward
the TV which was in front of the couch.

Around maybe 5 am or 5:30 am, when it was starting to get light out, I
was awakened by the feeling of someone lying down behind me, as if
spooning me. I felt his hand (for some reason, I felt it was a male) on
my side as he laid behind me, and his legs against mine from behind. I
immediately thought it was my friend's boyfriend, who maybe got
confused and laid down behind me thinking I was his girlfriend? The
blanket I was sleeping with covered my head as well, so I thought he
just assumed she came out to the couch and decided to lie with her
forgetting I was there?

Not 5 seconds after I felt this person lay down behind me, I said,
"Brian, it's Julie, not Jessica." As soon as I said this I felt "him"
get up. The weird part is though, when I thought back about the
experience, I did not hear anyone walk away like footsteps. I just felt
the pressure of the "person" behind me get up, but no sound, it was
complete silence.

When my friends woke-up, I told them both about it, and asked Brian if
he laid down behind me thinking I was Jessica, his girlfriend. He said
now, and told me it was probably their cat who laid with me. The only
thing is I DISTINCTLY felt a hand on my waist and legs against mine!
It couldn't have been the cat! Trust me, I was open to suggestions, but
I KNOW what I felt.

My friends have told me several time that strange things have happened
in their house and that it seems to be haunted sometimes. I've never
felt or noticed anything until this night, and I'm fairly sensitive to
things of a spiritual nature. It really bothered me though, this whole
experience. But the weird and really scary part that happened was when
my friend told me in the next day or so that the night that I had my
experienced there next door neighbor had died! He was an elderly man.

I couldn't help thinking that the "he" that laid down behind me was
this man! I am a very light sleeper, so I am easily awakened generally
speaking. The whole thing troubled me, and now every time I go to their
house, and I walk past their neighbor's house, I think about the
experience.

From then on, I never sleep with my back exposed; I always face my back
toward the wall or put a pillow against my back.

Sincerely,

Juliette

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A Hallowe'en Hello

My favorite aunt's favorite holiday was Hallowe'en, just like mine. She died in September a few years back. The same October, on Hallowe'en night, we were sitting downstairs in the den. The storm door was closed and the wood door also. All of a sudden, "Bang", the wood door flew open and hit the wall. We knew immediately it was Teckie letting us know she was alright.

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Last but not least, I simply must share this widely-circulated Hallowe'en mailing. It's by no means new, but whoever wrote it has some good points!:>)

The 21 Rules Of Hallowe'en

1. When it appears that you have killed the monster, NEVER check to see if it's really dead.

2. Never read a book of demon summoning aloud, even as a joke.

3. Do not search the basement, especially if the power has gone out.

4. If your children speak to you in Latin or any other language which they should not know, shoot them immediately. It will save you a lot of grief in the long run. However, it will probably take several rounds to kill them, so be prepared. This also applies to kids who speak with somebody else's voice.

5. When you have the benefit of numbers, NEVER pair off and go exploring without the rest of the group.

6. As a general rule, don't solve puzzles that open portals to Hell.

7. Never stand in, on, or above a grave, tomb, or crypt. This would apply to any other house of the dead as well.

8. If you're searching for something which caused a loud noise and find out that it's just the cat, GET THE HELL OUT!

9. If appliances start operating by themselves, do not check for short circuits; just get out.

10. Do not take ANYTHING from the dead.

11. If you find a town which looks deserted, there's probably a good reason for it. Don't stop and look around.

12. Don't fool with recombinant DNA technology unless you're sure you know what you're doing.

13. If you're running from the monster, expect to trip or fall down at east twice, more if you are female. Also note that, despite the fact that you are running and the monster is merely shambling along, it's still moving fast enough to catch up with you.

14. If your companions suddenly begin to exhibit uncharacteristic behavior such as hissing, fascination for blood, glowing eyes, increasing hairiness, and so on, kill them immediately.

15. Stay away from certain geographical locations, some of which are listed here: Amityville, Elm Street, Transylvania, anywhere in Texas where chainsaws are sold, the Bermuda Triangle, or any small town in Maine.

16. If your car runs out of gas at night on a lonely road, do not go to the nearby deserted-looking house to phone for help. If you think that it is strange you ran out of gas because you thought you had most of a tank, shoot yourself instead. You are going to die anyway, and most likely be eaten.

17. Beware of strangers bearing tools. For example: chainsaws, staple guns, hedge trimmers, electric carving knives, combines, lawnmowers, butane torches, soldering irons, band saws, or any devices made from deceased companions.

18. If you find that your house is built upon a cemetery, now is the time to move in with the in-laws. This also applies to houses that had previous inhabitants who went mad or committed suicide or died in some horrible fashion, or had inhabitants who performed satanic practices.

19. Dress appropriately. When investigating a noise downstairs in an old house, women should not wear a flimsy negligee. And carry a flashlight, not a candle.

20. Do not mention the names of demons around open flames, as these can flare suddenly. Be especially careful of fireplaces in this regard.

21. Do not go looking for witches in the Maryland countryside.

Have a safe and happy Hallowe'en!

Thanks to everyone who has been writing to me with personal experiences and responses to the column. If you wish to send me a story for possible publication, please email to: paranormal@zsuzsana.com. Please post responses to today's column or readers' letters to: Paranormal Insider Forum.

Gotta run! Just as I began typing my good-byes, a big and sprightly spider started climbing up the wall right behind my monitor, and now I've lost sight of him. Eek!

Take care and see you next week!

Zsuzsana Summer

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All editorial content by Zsuzsana Summer, www.arcanamatrix.com