Sunday, July 19, 2009

how to live with a ghost

i've noticed that there's a lot of shows on paranormal subjects on tv lately, and a lot of them deal with hauntings and supernatural activity in people's homes, and it seems a lot of people are frightened just by the idea. but in my experience, most intelligent hauntings, where there seems to be an awareness attached to the energy, are benign, and to react to them in fear only calls in negative energy where none necessarily needs to be.

shortly after Beloved moved in, it was pretty clear that steve, the man who'd built the house and created the grounds, was still here in some fashion, even if he'd been found dead in the house a few years before. much as Beloved wants to dismiss and deny some of the things that happen here, some things - like the candle that burned through one halloween night outside all night along, despite heavy rain directly into it - just defy explanation.

my children asked me once if my grandmother's house was haunted. what makes you ask that, i replied, cautiously. we hear things, they said. footsteps where there shouldn't be footsteps and doors open and close by themselves. since i'd seen the same things, and more, but i didn't want to freak them out, i paused before answering. "look at it this way," i finally said, "anyone who's here, you're related to. they won't want to scare you - just tell them to go away and not to frighten you." i could see them thinking about it. "oh," said katie, always the spokesperson. "that's a good way to think about it."

and that's how i thought about it when it became manifestly clear that steve still very much considers himself a part of pond house. for one thing, it was clear there were certain changes he resented and certain things he approved of. he liked the fixing up Beloved did in the ground floor bedroom and bathroom, for example. he didn't like the blue tiles Beloved put down on top of steve's black ones. once my stepdaughter gasped and her eyes filled with tears as she passed the stairs down to the ground floor. what's wrong, we all asked. i just saw a man standing at the bottom of the steps. i told her later i had seen him, too.

things had a habit of disappearing in pond house, to reappear in places you knew they hadn't been. an example of this is a watch with a particularly noticeable band made up of chunky, brightly painted clay beads. i loved the watch - not so much because it worked (watches and i don't get along) - mostly because it was so bright and handmade and it was especially hard to lose. i was heartbroken when the strings broke at last and the beads scattered to the five directions. but anyways, one day it disappeared. i searched all over for it - my place, pond house, my purse, my car, my office, even Beloved's car, but it was no where to be found. then one morning i was lying in bed beside Beloved when i thought i saw a man-shaped shadow walk quickly past the bottom of the bed, toward the tv, carrying my watch. beside me, Beloved jumped. "what's wrong," i asked. "i thought i saw someone walk past the foot of the bed," he said. i didn't say anything then, but when i got up i looked on top of the tv. and there, in the corner, just where i knew it couldn't have been, was my watch.

i'll tell you more ghost stories later.

and furthermore, the war will end. blessed be.

10 comments:

Unknown said...

i love ghost stories! and those are some good ones.

rose AKA Walk in the Woods - she/her said...

I grew up with stories of spirits ... wandering the old victorian home that was my Nono's. The foot steps and shifting items were usually attributed to family members. My Aunt Mary would not sleep alone upstairs, for the fear - that you mention - that she brought to a benign & potentially beautiful experience.

Through my teen years, I would vie with visiting family members (and my father) for the lone attic "bedroom" (reported to have the most activity) and once secured, find an excuse to go to bed early. I *so* wanted to experience the ... "hauntings."

:)

Even so, I admit that my most vivid experience (in adulthood) evoked feelings that led me to flee. Fear? Yeah ... but not of a zombie attack ... rather fear of facing a truth I was more comfortable keeping buried.


Have I ever told you about Edith's Footprint right here in my little hut? She doesn't linger, but she does visit from time to time. She likes us. :)

And ... "hey" to Steve!

Amy said...

It so love stuff like this.. I think ghost are around for sure. I think my MIL has one in her house. Her dad..

Martha@A Sense of Humor is Essential said...

Thank you for sharing your spectral acquaintances. Hmm, you sound very effective at maintaining boundaries except for the object relocation.

Divaeva said...

<3 your stories! I have had quite a few experiences with ghosts, spirits, energies, in every place I have lived - except this new townhouse...needless to say I miss quiet friends! Although things do go missing and reappearing from time to time here - small pranks played on us by my little house folk....

Grace said...

I grow up with personal stories such as that and more... but it don't affect me anymore now.
Things just turned out in different directions for me lately. :)

Judy Vars said...

I also love ghost stories. I got haunted before and it was very disturbing.

Anonymous said...

We have a teen girl and a younger girl that share our home with us. I've explained to both of our teen girls that these two other children are probably not aware that we can see them and if our girls do see them just tell them, "I can see you and it scares me. Please do not scare me". Has worked so far. I've seen the older girl a few times since then - nothing that I will tell the kids. Then there are the boots upstairs - someone who wore boots likes to walk around upstairs sometimes. We just shake our heads and ignore them. No doors opening or anything. Stuff does tend to disappear and then reappear in a different place.
I tend to believe that the renovations we are doing has stirred up old energy that is now being released. *shrugs*

Kim said...

My grandpa's Spirit could be quite active in his house. My brother bought the house and we both lived there for a while. I moved out when his awful girlfriend moved in. Grandpa was always kind to us. Not so to the girlfriend. He didn't like her either. When my brother built his new house I made sure he asked grandpa to come along. He had and Grandpa did.

Carol J. said...

Hi Annie. I liked this post...it makes having "ghosts" in the house so calm and, well, normal. :)

We also have others here with us, altho we aren't really sure of who it is. They've made themselves known with shadows that flit across the walls, shuffling upstairs when we're downstairs, and most obviously, with turning our bedroom lights on. It's even happened while I'm lying in bed, having just turned off the light and plink...on it comes! Altho it freaks me out a little, it comforts me even more.

They might stay awy for awhile, but so far, they've always come back. :) Thanks for sharing this.