Monday, October 30, 2017

Ghosts, Spirits, Spooks, and Haints

This is a story I told you back in 2010, but I thought it fitting for today, let me know what you think.

Tracks in the snow

Ghosts, Spirits, Spooks, Haints, I could name a few more if I sat and thought about it for a while, and there are a lot of stories about life after death and whether you actually come back as a spirit if you feel you have left unfinished business here on this earth after you depart.

I don’t suppose there are very many who feel they have done everything they can or want to do before they check out of this life, so that would leave a whole lot of us coming back to make sure we were ready to go.

I remember the house where my Grandma lived in Easley, SC when I was a kid, it was actually a huge old two story house that had been divided into several apartments. The walk in closet in her bedroom always freaked me out because behind the hanging clothes there was a set of stairs going up into darkness, I asked her where they went and her reply was that she had really never thought about it and that they most likely used to go upstairs.

Grandma told me that the house was once a mansion, this place was old, it had copper looking push button light switches, and the ceilings were so far up it really amazed me and made me wonder what this place had looked like before.

Spending the night there left you feeling kind of creepy because of all the pops and cracks that go with a house settling at night, and for a while the sound of the baby crying in the upstairs apartment made you wonder why the Mom did nothing to comfort this little one rather than leave it to cry most of the night. I figured if they had a baby then most likely there were kids who might want to play so I went around back and climbed the stairs up to the apartment, when I got to the top of the stairs I saw that there were no curtains in the windows and the door was standing partially opened, I pushed it the rest of the way open to see a completely vacant apartment that was covered in dust.

I went back down and around the house to make sure if there was another upstairs apartment and sure enough that was the only one on this side, the other one on the opposite side was rented by people with no kids.

I asked my Grandma about the apartment and she said the people moved out a long time ago. I told her about hearing the baby cry and she said yes you will hear that once in a while, she told me the people who lived there before lost their baby in that apartment, that the little one had died in it’s sleep and they moved away shortly after that. I hunkered down a bit deeper in the covers when the little one cried later that night.

We moved to a house in Greenville, SC, it was pretty big and we all got our own rooms so to say, really the girls got their own room, and my Brother and I had to share one. It was a good neighborhood with a lot of elderly people who became our friends pretty quickly.

Mr. Kilby lived next door and he spent most of his time sitting on the porch smoking a cigar, and there were a set of elderly twin sisters who lived behind us that I did yard work for, they filled us in on the history of everyone who lived in the area, it was pretty fascinating sitting and listening to them share their stories.

We had a big snow come in and we were left stranded in the house for a few days. Late one night my brother, sisters and I were sitting at the kitchen table playing “Crazy Eights” a card game that we played when there was nothing else to do.

A bearded mans face appearing to look into a window right at you.
Suddenly the back door rattled and we saw a face looking through the glass it was an old man wearing a hat and looked like a heavy coat from what we could see, rather than open the door we woke up my Step Dad who had already turned in for the night, he came to investigate and found there was no one at the door, we got chewed out for waking him for a joke since no one would be out in this weather.

The next morning we went out the back door and at the bottom of the steps there were tracks in the snow, this should lead us to who was there last night, so we followed the tracks completely around the house and right back to the steps, these tracks did not lead out of the yard nor onto the front porch just started and ended at the back steps. Step Dad or Mom couldn’t explain this.

The elderly twins told me that the man who lived there before always sat on the back steps and wore a hat when he was outside, said he was retired and liked the back yard so that’s where he spent his time. Mr. Kilby next door said that “Old Man Hill” always wore a hat and a long coat when it was cold outside and would either sit out back, or walk around the house, when I asked what happened to him Mr. Kilby said, They found him dead in his bed and then yall moved in.

I got to be pretty close with my Dads Father after I moved to New Mexico. Granddaddy was a practical joker and storyteller and could take up a good bit of your day telling you of days gone by, if he ever said “Do You Remember” then your best bet was to pull up a chair and get ready for either a history lesson or a good laugh, either way you were going to be there a while.

He told me a lot of family stories about his Dad and also gave me a few stories to laugh at about my own Dad, he always said he couldn’t wait until I had a son so he could tell him stories about me.

Granddaddy died in 1981 and my oldest Son wasn’t born until 1983 after I had moved down to Odessa, Texas. One night I was sitting in the middle of the living room floor actually changing my sons diaper believe it or not, when I looked up to see what looked like Granddaddy standing leaning against the wall at the end of the hallway smiling into the living room at me, I looked down at my son then back up and that was the last time I saw Granddaddy.

Now I can’t explain babies crying in an empty apartment, or a ghost making tracks in the snow, I just know what I have witnessed in my lifetime and yes the first two happened when I was a kid but I know what I saw and felt at the time.

Now for the last one I was already grown, and it wasn’t like the TV program The Ghost Whisperer where you shed tears at the end of the story as the spirit crosses over into the light. I didn't see or sense any crossings and there was no light that miraculously appeared, it was like he was there and then he was gone. I thought it was pretty neat for Granddaddy to look in, and whether he said it or not I could almost hear “Do You Remember.”

44 comments:

  1. What a lovely tribute to your youth. Scary in some instances, but delightful in others. Like seeing your grandfather again.

    Have a fabulous day. ☺

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    1. Thank you Sandee, Seeing Granddaddy once again was a real blessing.

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  2. Cool! For real or Halloween? Years ago, I heard a baby crying in my closet shortly after I had a miscarriage. Delusions? Baby blues? Just plain crazy? It lasted several nights, I even woke my husband up, but he said he couldn't hear it.
    Good post!

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    1. Hello Sharon, Everything I told you is real, I just thought it to be a good time to share it once again.

      No matter how you explain the baby crying that you heard doesn't change the fact that you heard it, so with that said in my opinion it is 100% real, and especially during that time in your life was probably a comfort in a sense, not crazy by any means.

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  3. Now we know where you got your gift for story telling...your granddaddy.

    After my husband died, I had something weird happen. My wedding ring hung on a pin on a bulletin board by my computer---been there for nearly 10 years---but shortly after he died it fell off three times! I never did figure out how that happened and it hasn't happened since. Figured he was making statements about some decisions I was struggling with. 1) his funeral arrangements (ring fell on my keyboard), 2) selling his gun collection (ring went on the floor), and 3) worrying about money. (Ring fell on top of my checkbook.)

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    1. Hello Jean, Granddaddy was an excellent storyteller and he never met a stranger either.

      I have to agree with you about your ring suddenly deciding to fall off of the pin it was hanging on, Don was definitely attempting to add his input and to give you a little help in making your decisions. People can interpret things like this in many ways but I choose to believe yours because you knew him best.

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  4. There are many mysteries and I am not in a hurry to find answers.

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    1. Amen Joe, A lot of things are best left as is.

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  5. Wow, lucky you to have had so many bizarre sightings--or hearings. Spooky. I don't disbelieve in spirits and often thought I would welcome an encounter. So far nothing.

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    1. Hey Patti, They were all definitely experiences that made you remember them, I am just glad that things like this don't happen everyday...not to me anyways.

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  6. You gave me chills!!

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    1. Hey Fran, I hope you enjoyed my few tales from the past.

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  7. A great story, well-told and perfect for this time of year.

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    1. Hello Delores, Thank you I am honored to have you read it.

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  9. I haven't seen or heard any spirits, but some houses have a feeling from the moment you walk in. I won't rule anything out.
    How lovely that you saw your grandfather again, and that he saw his great grandson.

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    1. Hello EC, You are so right about houses that you walk into and just get a weird feeling that doesn't go away, these places just make you want to get out as soon as possible.

      I had the feeling that Granddaddy was just looking in to make sure my son and I were OK, this was never a weird feeling but kind of comforting.

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  10. I've never had any encounters like that, but like EC I don't rule anything out either. And the older the get, the more I don't rule it out! I don't dream very often but I had a very comforting dream about my dad after his death. He went past me as if he didn't see me; he could walk again, and he RAN straight into his mama's arms. They had been very close in life; he was in the middle of the pack of their 11 children, and he helped her a lot with the younger ones until he left home. Who knows, eh? Nobody does know for sure. I expect your vision of your grandfather left you with a good feeling.

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    1. Hey Jenny, Your dream about your Dad does sound like a very good dream, those are the ones that you definitely gain comfort from. He sounds like a good man.

      Seeing my Granddaddy was a good feeling, Thank you Jenny.

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  11. My mother claims she saw a "red hand" as a child. I've never seen a ghost. I knew I was unpopular, but dang.

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    1. Hey Adam, One good thing is you are no longer unpopular you do have us...and even better, you have Daisy.

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  12. I grew up in a haunted or "strange" house. My mom told of the story of one day hearing my brother crying. He was still in his crib at the time; something my mom wanted him to stay in as long as he could/would so he wouldn't be roaming the house at night. She went into his room to see what was wrong and saw a creature (or whatever) trying to lift him out of the crib. He never wanted to sleep in that room again alone and my mom eventually moved in there with him (my dad had died a few months before all this happened). None of us kids liked to go upstairs to the bathroom alone at night; we all coerced each other to go with us. I do remember waking up a lot at night feeling someone touching me on the shoulder only to turn and look and see nothing but feel someone touching me on the other shoulder. Our bedrooms were on the 2nd story of the house. One night I awoke and saw an apparition of someone climbing outside the window. We moved when I was seven to California from Pennsylvania. Nothing else was weird, but that house was weird. We didn't talk about it much after we left except my mom did say that she had the house blessed before we moved into it. Over 50 years later, I still remember these events i experienced or heard about vividly.

    betty

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    1. Hello Betty, Those occurrences would definitely stay with you, do you think this could have been your Dad?

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  13. Oh that is truly shivering Jimmy!

    Though i never believed in the stories told by grandma when i was adult but loved to hear and believe when i was little (before teens)

    My grand father was in army so grandma had to travel alone when she needed something from Market .
    in those days Grandma(from mom's side) used to walk alone towards market to buy accessories . Nearest market was at least 5 kilometers .
    she had to set off for shopping in early mornings and when she returned it was almost night times .her all stories about those night times which used blow away my sleep as kid
    She told us she saw in her way a beautiful lady who offered help hold her stuff but when she refused the beautiful lady start playing trick to fear her ,she turned into donkey some time and than a snake .
    there was lot she used to tell us .
    In whole village and even around she was famous for her bravery and love for justice .

    When i was almost 4 i did not know about death. one day our house owner died (we lived in city until i was six) and mom told he is gone to another world and be never back.
    In evening when i was standing with roof fence with other children i ,all of us saw his white smoke like transparent waving shape moving front of our eyes and disappeared above .
    that shiver i can still feel in me .we all shouted and ran down to stairs ,some fell and get minor injuries .
    I still think was it his spirit ?
    If it wasn't than how saw it all of us at same time

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    1. Hello Baili, Your Grandma sounds like a very interesting woman who had many stories to tell, and also many experiences to base them on, I would believe her stories to be true. The spirit you and the other children saw could have been the spirit of your landlord, like you said with the whole group seeing the same thing simply proves it to be true.

      Nice to see you my friend.

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  14. I like spooky house stories and I love the idea of a staircase to nowhere :)
    There are plenty of animals who sound like a crying baby, possibly that's what everybody heard and just attributed the sound to the child who had died there. It makes a better story than, "it's the kitten across the road" or something.
    Nice that you got to see your grand daddy one more time and I bet he was pleased to see your baby boy too.

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    1. Hello River, Yes there are animals that sound like a baby crying, especially a cat, but the crying that I remember just went on for too long and sounded more human than that of a kitten...and yes this was over fifty years ago and I am going to agree that the baby crying is a lot more interesting than "I heard a cat squalling last night" ;-)

      Granddaddy always loved kids, I hope he was pleased to see my son.

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  15. Ooooh I went all shivery as I read this.... Seriously, I believe in ghosts.

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    1. Good morning Valerie, As you can tell I believe in ghosts also, I'm not one who sees them all of the time but I do believe there are spirits among us.

      Getting the shivers is natural when you believe.

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  16. Wow, a wonderful,loving and scary tale. Thank you for sharing.

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    1. Thank you Annie, I am happy that you enjoyed my stories.

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  17. I feel as though I'm at a slumber party listening to all these ghost stories!

    I guess I'm lucky to have never witnessed anything along these lines. I'd like to keep it that way!

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    1. Hey Bijoux, It's been thirty five years since I saw Granddaddy or anything else along that line, you just may be lucky and be able to continue with your record of no ghostly experiences.

      Feel free to use these stories at your next slumber party ;)

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  18. Interesting! I once was convinced I could smell my late great-grandmother's smell perfume.

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    1. Hi Liz, I believe smelling your Great-Grandmother's perfume is a sure sign that she was with you in one form or another, whether it be an actual spirit or a memory strong enough for you to smell her perfume, I say she was there.

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  19. Really great stories! I could live with the baby crying before I could live with the foot prints in the snow. I have not ever experienced any ghostly happenings but I never doubt there are spirits of some sort out there.
    Lisa

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    1. Hey Lisa, Thank you, I agree there are some sort of spirits out there whether we have seen them or not.

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  20. I think some people can pick up that energy frequency, and some can't. I saw a headless man in my basement. I don't figure he was a relative. He was dressed in old-timey clothes. A white shirt with one of those cardboard kind of collars that attaches. I don't know how to explain it. He had a row of round black buttons down the front of the shirt. He appeared as I walked past my VCR and satellite dish box. I stepped aside to avoid running into him! He was only there a couple of seconds. Then he slowly faded away.

    Gave me chills and made me insist that my husband install a light switch at the top of the stairs, so I didn't have to walk up in just the moonlight glow from upstairs. We'd been having a lot of trouble with a ceiling light going out in that room, then coming back on. Even switched out bulbs, and still it did the on/off thing. One night after turning it off, just as I was lifting my foot to start upstairs, I said, "Don't you EVEN--" and the light went out at that moment. This was before I saw the headless man, but the light troubles continued for a couple years after, too.

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    1. Hey Val, That is very interesting, it would be nice to know who this person was and how he ties into your place, he was most likely the cause of the lights going off and on too.

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  21. I enjoyed reading about your experiences, Jimmy, and to think people say there's no such thing as ghosts. I believe in them and am cursing myself for not thinking to blog the story this year. Oh well, there's always another day.

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    1. I am happy that you enjoyed reading these stories Valerie, and as for you blogging your story, you can write about it any time that you want. Any day is a good day.

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  22. What a wonderful way for our family members to let us know they're okay. This is a wonderful story Jimmy! Hugs...RO

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    1. Thank you RO, I agree with you, this is a wonderful way for family members to give us a bit of comfort.

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