Ghosts: Real or Imagination?

Happy Halloween Everyone! 

So tell me please...do you believe in ghosts? 

Well, I do - absolutely!

Some years ago, I recounted a story about what I believe was a ghost strolling along the road in front of my home in Stafford, Virginia. It was a full moon night so the road was ablaze with moonlight. The figure strolled along down the middle of the road indistinguishable even in the brightness of the moonlight, whistling a tune then suddenly vanished. That was only one of the many eerie things that happened in and around that house. I've got far too many to tell you about but since it is Halloween, I thought I’d tell you about the only one that ever truly scared me.

My house was built on land in an area of Virginia where the Union Army had a very large encampment during the Civil War. I was quite accustomed to strange sounds in the middle of the night—sometimes in the daytime too. Sounds such as shrill whistles, dings like metal on metal, and a sound that I found out was similar to the sound a flintlock would make when cocked. I learned to live with these oddities and never felt threatened by any of them. I fully understood there might be residuals left floating in our world from lives lived in the past.

Then there was the night I was in bed, light on, and reading a book—of course. The door to the bedroom was shut, but not locked. My then husband was sleeping on the other side of the house, and the dog was sleeping in the living area just outside my room.

All was well; I was engrossed in my book and comfortable in my bed. Suddenly, the entire door shuddered within the door-frame. It made me jump out of my skin, but then I just figured it was the dog settling in against it. I went back to reading. A moment later, the door shook again and this time I noticed that the doorknob was moving back and forth as if someone were trying to open the door. Remember, I said it wasn't locked, and the door never stuck so my heart leaped into my throat, and might even have stopped for a moment.

Once the door quieted, I sat there, upright, not breathing, waiting for it to happen again. When it didn't, I got out of bed and slowly approached it...I will admit, I was terrified to open it for fear of what might be on the other side. I grabbed the knob, threw the door open and of course, there was nothing there.

I looked to the dog who was lying nearby, and looking at me funny. I hurried to the opposite side of the house to my then husband, and asked if we'd just had another earthquake. Yes, this was after the big Virginia earthquake of 2011. He said no. I told him what happened and he told me I must have dozed off and imagined it. I knew I hadn't.

I went back to bed but left the door open. The next morning, I tried an experiment with the door. I closed it and pushed on it from the outside. The door didn't move—not even the slightest bit. Good doors. I tried jiggling it every which way, but nothing. Then I grabbed the doorknob and tried to get through the door without turning it...the door shuddered in the frame just as it had the night before. A chill rushed over me because it was then I realized that someone...or something...had been trying to get through that door.

Never has any ghostly experience I’ve experienced, and there have been many, ever terrified me like that one did. It never happened again while I was living there but I’ve never forgotten the sheer terror of it either.

So…I’m curious…and it is Halloween…have you any strange experiences to share? Plagued by strange sounds in the night or even in broad daylight? Seen strange figures where there shouldn't be any?

I’d love to hear them so please do share, after all it is the day the dead walk the earth and my dog, Marco's waiting to hear some real life scary stories. I think he’d like to know he’s not alone in experiencing his visitations. 

    

Happy Halloween, may you only encounter friendly spirits!

Still the best thing to watch on Halloween.