First of all, let me tell you that no one was a bigger skeptic than I was. I laughed at the stories of ghosts inhabiting houses. I howled at the idea of disembodied spirits lingering here on earth.
Then, I experienced it!
We lived in a small, rental house in Illinois. My husband and I had two small children and twins on the way. (I was 5 months pregnant!)Having been apartment-dwellers for years, since my husband was a full-time medical student, this three bedroom rental house on a quiet street was the answer to our prayers.
At least we thought so!
Small things began happening at first. Lights flickering on and off, appliances turning on and off, noises in the attic, unexplicable chills and frost in our master bathroom. We were a little uneasy, but just told ourselves that we were making a mountain out of a molehill, and dismissed it all as products of overactive imaginations. Then, the really bizarre episodes began to occur.
While my husband was at school, my mother stayed with me and my children, because I had a “high risk” pregnancy and had to remain on total bedrest. One afternoon while we were having lunch in the kitchen, we heard the back door open and slam shut. This happened repeatedly. The ceiling fans began to vibrate…it was a terrifying experience.
So terrifying, in fact, that I went into pre-term labor.
Don’t worry? Thanks to the miracles of medical science the doctors stopped my labor and everything to that end worked out fine. I was admitted to the hospital for a couple of days for observation, however.
(I later found out that my mother heard voices arguing)coming out of the television the evening that I was admitted to the hospital. One problem: the TV was off!
While I recouperated in the hospital, my husband decided to play Sherlock Holmes. He went to the police department and pulled up a five year history on complaints filed at our address. The list was unbelievable! Domestic disturbances, fights, spousal abuse…you name it. And that was only the most recent five year profile.
Luckily, he was able to obtain the name of the last tenant that lived in the house due to the police and ambulance report filed on his behalf. He called directory assistance and got the gentleman’s name, address and telephone number. They arranged a meeting later that afternoon.
To make a long story short, the former tenant, now a quadriplegic in a wheelchair, told us the history of the house. The landlord’s mother had apparently committed suicide in the bathtub. His father had disappeared only months before. Our landlord took inherited a whole lot of money and properties, moved out into a huge, mansion-like house and put the place up for sale. No one would buy it because of the history…so he turned it into a rental. Perfect for unsuspecting saps like us!
The former tenant, let us call him Mr. P to avoid confusion, told my husband that he was pushed down the attic stairs, losing the use of his arms and legs as a result. The strange part is, there was no one in the attic but him. He was adamant…he was assaulted by a ghost!
There’s lots more to the story…we’ll save it for later!