Think back to when you were really young. Even before that. Anything spooky happen to you? And not just at Halloween. Did dead relatives visit you? Did you have an imaginary friend? Did you often see shadows move? Have creepy dolls that talked or moved around the room? Do you think you are weird and all alone?
They say that children have a greater sense of awareness and therefore are more susceptible to the paranormal. This makes children particularly spooky. And makes their parents very nervous. But is it true? Or are children just crossing the lines of reality and pretend? As far as my kids go, I don’t think they were very connected with dead people. Unless it was the ghost of some great pro hockey player, they wouldn’t even notice. Although my kids did inherit my love of scary movies and stories of which I am so proud.
I can remember back to when I was between 5 and 6 and seeing a ‘shadow person’ in our house. I was sitting on a barstool at the kitchen counter and I could see to the doorway towards my baby brother’s room. He was still an infant when I began to notice a shadowy figure with what seemed to be a pointed hat on it’s head. I would see it go in his room but not come out. I usually would go in after it (once I found my bravery). I would also find my brother sound asleep. I began to think this shadow figure was just someone who checked up on him in his sleep. I don’t think I even told anyone about it. Who would believe me?
Other weird things I realized was, I often heard someone clearly say my name. I could be lost in thought or play and was interrupted by my name being called. Of course no one was around and I would head inside to ask my parents what they wanted. They always said it wasn’t them. My mom once jokingly told me it was the devil calling me because I had a guilty conscious about something. Really mom? That cost me years of therapy. But I swear I heard my name clear as day. I was around 11-13 when this went on.
I was much older before I had any more encounters of the spooky kind. My grandfather passed away right before I got married. He was the type of grandfather that loved to scare the Bejebus out of everyone, all the time. Once when I was spending the night at their house with one of my cousins, he informed us not to open the closet in our room. (Which was downstairs and far away from our grandparents bedroom.) He said the lady that lived there before we were born hung herself in there. Then he said goodnight and closed the door! We didn’t move a muscle the rest of the night.
That same grandfather didn’t like to talk about his family. His father was an alcoholic and his mom died of cancer but she had abandoned him when he was a young teen. She did come to live with him and my grandmother before I was born and she died of cancer. I would ask him if he had other relatives and he would say no. After he passed away, I started looking into my family history on my dads side. One night I had a dream that was so real, I still can remember it in detail. It was a Thanksgiving meal at my grandparents house. Everyone was there and all of a sudden my dead grandfather walked in and sat next to me at the table. He said, “I know you are looking into family history, but never go looking into my family history.” He made me promise. It was several years before I decided to give it a little look. I found nothing. Not one thing. Weird?
I find there are tons of scary places and things in my town, Raleigh NC. I started following this woman online that did Haunted Trolley Tours and she had a blog. She was extremely knowledgeable about the history of our city. Now she has this big time job with WRAL News as a History writer. Her name is Heather Leah and she knows her stuff Y’all. Her latest article is a good creepy one. You can read that here: https://www.wral.com/moon-eyed-people-and-lake-monsters-6-eerie-legends-with-real-historic-roots-in-nc/19351942/
Did you ever watch Ghost Hunters on TV? I used to love that show! The crew worked together so well and always kept us on the edge of our seats. Honestly, people like that are fantastic at telling the history of a venue or area. We have our own Ghost Hunters here in Raleigh. They areThe Ghost Guild Inc. They really need to do a hunt at my friends (Cheryl’s) house. Cheryl lives in her husbands family home. Lots of creepy stuff happens there. They also do studies at most of the historic homes and areas in our city. Great for Halloween!
So if you have a story or know of one that you believe, drop it in the comments! I love to hear other’s spooky connections! Meanwhile I think I will contact the Ghost Guild and see if they are up for drinks and story time!
BONUS: Here are 10 of my favorite Spooky Movies:
- The Shining
- The Other: a 1975 Thriller directed by Robert Mulligan.
- Tourist Trap from 1979
- It’s Alive from 1973
- The Lost Boys 1987
- The Others with Nicole Kidman
- The Exorcist
- Village of the Damned from 1960
- Invasion of the Body Snatchers from 1978
- House of Wax from 1953
There are so many more but the above list are my favs!
Ghosts and Margaritas!
