Halloween Stories 14

An Alberta Ghost Story 

Retold by S.E. Schlosser

There was an abandoned house sitting in the middle of a fancy neighborhood in Calgary that nobody would go near. And I mean nobody!  Now, my pal Albert was the agent in charge of selling that haunted house and he tried everything in his power to close a deal.  But folks were too plumb scared to make an offer, even at rock-bottom prices.  Finally, Albert lit on the notion of selling the house sight unseen to a rich city slicker from the States. Worked like a charm, too, until the day the city slicker decided he wanted to visit the property after all.

 

Albert was all set to take the fellow there at high noon, but the city slicker’s train was delayed, so it wasn’t until after dinner that the two men set off for the haunted house. It was a dark and rainy night, but early enough in the evening that the ghost might still be resting. At least, Albert hoped this was the case. 

 

Albert unlocked the front door, and it opened with an ominous creak. Albert swallowed nervously, but the city slicker just chuckled and said something about atmosphere. Albert relaxed a bit, and wondered if he shouldn’t have raised the price a bit. The two men entered a tall foyer absolutely festooned with dusty cobwebs. 

 

“Creepy!” the city slicker said enthusiastically. He bounded energetically into the center of the foyer, “Come to me, foul spirits!” he intoned loudly.  

 

Immediately, the whole house rang with a sinister, unearthly chuckle.  Then an unearthly voice boomed: “I’m coming down now!” The city slicker jumped and then turned to Albert with a happy grin. “Great special effects! How’d you do that?” 

 

“I didn’t,” Albert said, his teeth chattering. He backed up until he hit the front door and stood there with his hand on the knob.  

 

“I’m coming down now!” the voice boomed again, and the city slicker’s grin slipped a bit. He looked at Albert’s frightened posture and then followed the agent’s gaze toward the stairs.  

A bright light exploded into being at the top of the steps and quickly resolved into a sinister green head with flaming eyes, writhing hair, and fangs instead of teeth. The head opened its mouth and screamed; a terrible, high-pitched sound that scraped across the nerves.  

As the head began rolling down the stairs toward the two men, Albert’s nerve broke, and a moment later he was halfway down the road, his own scream rivaling that of the specter in the house behind him.  

 

It wasn’t until he was almost home that he realized that he had company. The city slicker was running along beside him.  

“Mister, I don’t think I want that house after all,” he panted.

“Why not?” asked a hauntingly familiar voice. Albert and the city slicker looked over and saw the green head with flaming red eyes keeping pace with them as they raced down the street.  

The city slicker gave a screech that would have shamed a banshee and disappeared into the distance so fast there was no keeping up with him.

“Must have been the asking price,” the floating head said conversationally to Albert. The real estate agent shrieked even louder than the city slicker and ran away so fast that his shoes made sparks against the pavement.

 

The next day, Albert quit his job and moved to Vancouver, where he spent the rest of his life working on a fishing boat.   And the haunted house fell into ruin and was eventually torn down. 

Happy Halloween!  The best is yet to come….

Ulcer Generating Habits

Ulcer Generating Habits

Personality

Type A

The theory describes a Type A individual as ambitious, rigidly organized, highly status conscious, can be sensitive, truthful, impatient, always try to help others, take on more than they can handle, want other people to get to the point, proactive, and obsessed with time management. People with Type A personalities are often high-achieving "workaholics" who multi-task, push themselves with deadlines, and hate both delays and ambivalence.

Type B

The theory describes Type B individuals as a contrast to those with Type A personalities. People with Type B personality by definition generally live at a lower stress level and typically work steadily, enjoying achievement but not becoming stressed when they are not achieved. When faced with competition, they do not mind losing and either enjoy the game or back down. They may be creative and enjoy exploring ideas and concepts. They are often reflective, thinking about the outer and inner worlds. ~Wikipedia

I will have to admit that I fall into the category of Type A personality: Early in my twenties I took part in a management training program with one of the largest National Corporations of my chosen industry.  I completed the training successfully and went on to a nice career in mid management with the company, before parting ways to redirect my lifelong career.  During the early years and soon after management training, I noticed that I was being bothered by stomach problems without exception while eating or soon after eating.  I recognized the symptoms of ulcers, but was afraid to face the consequences.

I had achieved success in short order, and it always comes at a price; sometimes the family relationship is damaged, and sometimes the individual’s health suffers.  I knew that because I was working hard at covering all the basis, something had to give (most likely me).  Many factors came together to create the problem; work overload, social calendar over indulgence, and excessive coffee drinking at meetings to name a few factors.  Within a couple of years I had developed the symptoms of ulcers.

The pain was acute enough that I would avoid meals just because I knew that my stomach would hurt.  One day I was playing a round of golf with a friend that was just finishing medical school, and along the back nine I asked him if he could prescribe something to control ulcers.  His response was quick and matter-of-fact, “I’ve got just the thing for it.”  When we finished the round we stopped at the club house, and we had a drink (I had a glass of milk) to relax and discuss the game we had just finished.  I totally forgot to ask about the ulcer medicine.

As I was getting into my car I remembered, and quickly got out and caught up with him as he was getting ready to leave the parking lot.  I reminded him of the ulcer prescription, and he simply smiled and said, “If you have a problem that you can resolve, resolve it without worrying about it,”  “If you have a problem that is not in your control, and you can’t resolve it, don’t worry about, because all the worrying in the world won’t resolve it.”  I was disappointed because I was imagining a liquid that would take care of my stomach pain.  He mentioned that I was already doing the right thing by drinking milk, and eating bland foods, until my stomach healed.  I practiced that prescription for the rest of my life and to this day I don’t have ulcers.  The best is yet to come…..

Halloween Stories 13

Saved by An Angel

By Unknown Author

18 years ago I was in Turkey for vacation with friends. I was 21 at the time and a novice swimmer. I was swimming in the sea when a strong current carried me into deeper water. The waves were crashing over my head; I could not feel the surface beneath my feet. I was being pulled further and further out to sea. There were no other swimmers in the water. I began to wave frantically but no one seemed to notice I was drowning. I went under once, twice and I knew the third time was going to be my last. I was thinking all the time I don’t want to die so far from home. I was going under for the third time when this little brown body of a boy child came from the left; he swam like a fish in the water. He came over to my right hand side and held me up out of the water by my elbow. I turned to him and said don’t let go.  I did not know how such a small child was holding me up but he was. He was only about 4 years old. He just held me there and stayed by my side he did not speak. I was calm and knew I was safe.

A few minutes later a woman in a green swimsuit swam to my aid. When she reached me she held my left arm and he held my right arm. They held me for what seemed like a long time before they slowly brought me to the shore. I turned to the boy and he was gone. I was confused and kept looking for the boy. I kept asking “where is the child gone, the little boy”. The woman said she did not see any child I was very puzzled. He was right there all that time. How could she not have seem him? In fact I had assumed the boy was with her because they seemed to work together.

A group of children surrounded me in the shallow water; I asked them if they had seen the little boy who pulled me up from the water. I wanted to thank him. They told me they had seen what has happened but they only saw the lady rescue me, they did not see any little boy.

In disbelief I asked everyone who was on the beach including my friend did they see the little boy, I was getting worried about him.  Was he still in the water? Where was he? But no one else saw him. He saved my life yet I was the only one who saw him. How did the woman who helped save me not see him when he was right there with us? I will never understand and can only conclude that I must have been saved by an angel that day.

And if you can hear me little Angel “Thank you, I can never thank you enough.  The best is yet to come…

 

 

 

Mad Men Revisited

Halloween Story 12

Ghost Story                                                                                                                                                 by Princess Peng

There’s an old schoolhouse just outside of Calgary in Chestermere; several years ago there was a fire that forced its closure. In recent years it has been a hotbed teenage/paranormal activity. I’d heard rumors that the place was very haunted and kept an ear open for stories of the place.

I was told that after the fire the wrecking crews couldn’t demolish the building, on the first attempt the wrecking crew all became mysteriously ill and were eventually unable to stand. Another crew came by to do the job a little later, no one felt sick but apparently just as they were swinging the wrecking ball toward the building it stopped suddenly and the ball snapped off the chain. These are the stories I was told as to why the school was never torn down.

Back in the beginning of March some friends and I decided to make our own spoof of MTV’s Fear complete with video cameras, ludicrous dares and a sack of weed to be shared amongst the survivors. This wasn’t the first time I’d done something like this. The contestants were all teenagers, most of them local gang members who claimed to be totally fearless.

As we approached the site we realized we’d have to cut across the neighboring property to gain access to the school, this was a royal pain in the ass as we were carrying several bags including audio/video equipment and two tricycles (to be used in the Shining-style tricycle race). The neighbor was a scruffy looking old man, we know this because he chased us down armed with a shotgun as we tried to trespass onto the property. We lost our first two contestants even before getting to the site. We jumped the fence and hid out of sight until the old man went away and then walked around the outside of the building until we found a window to enter through.

The school itself was seriously creepy, it had been vandalized by plenty of people before we got there. the first thing that happened even before scoping out the place was a lone door open on its own and then slammed shut, there was no wind or anything blowing through the place. We split into two teams, each had a camcorder, an audio recorder, a flashlight and a two way walkie talkie. The point of this was to do a search for spooky locations for the other contestants to do their dares. Within two minutes another contestant quit saying that this was wrong and he had a feeling we weren’t meant to be here.

Some of us looked through a few of the abandoned classrooms when we got a call on one of our cellphones, it was the other team saying their equipment wasn’t working and they were stuck at the entrance to what they thought was a gymnasium. Their flashlight was just flickering and they said this area was really cold. I laughed, fired up the video camera and brought the remaining three members of my team with me to see this place. As we approached the area the light of my flashlight began to flicker as well, I didn’t think too much of it since I bought the flashlight from a dollar store. Just then one of the other team members ran past me screaming, “We have to get out of here!” My team all looked puzzled and I yelled back to him that he was a wimp. As I neared the other team I noticed they were all bunched together and grabbing hold of one another. I started laughing and then one of the guys said that there was someone in the room ahead of them. Just then it became really hot, all of us were unzipping our coats and trying to get our flashlights to work. My flashlight came on again, I open the door, peered in with the camcorder and asked, “Is anyone in here?” The ground was covered in a layer of fresh, undisturbed powder snow, and no one was inside. It suddenly became really cold again and I suggested this be one of the sites of the dares.

The walkie talkie suddenly switched back on and it was the guy who had run past us saying he was really scared, couldn’t find the exit and needed one of us to escort him out. The guy next to me tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to the ground in front of us. Before us in the previously undisturbed snow was a set of footprints that seemed to originate in the center of the room and stop just in front of us. These footprints were definitely not there a moment earlier, they were prints of bare feet and no bigger than a small child’s. Personally, I thought this was a good sign, nobody else did though. Upon this discovery the remaining team members ran for the front door as fast as their feet would carry them. I stayed just long enough to take a photograph and then followed suit.

P.S.: If anyone decides to visit this site please be on the lookout for the sack of weed I lost while making my getaway.  The best is yet to come…..

Price of Progress

1960 Main St. USA

Lately I’ve been hitting a special nerve (in a good way) with my followers on Facebook (Being 50).  My page is about remembering the great times we lived in, from everyday lifestyles of the 1960’s, and 1970’s to now.  I regularly get wonderful comments about how my followers wish things had not changed so drastically.  I am in full agreement but life is what it is.  You can’t embrace the scientific and social progress, without experiencing some mild to drastic changes depending on the progress.

Everything that comes along eventually changes the landscape and necessitates a change in the rules that society abides by.  The 1950’s were a very special time in which our parents had been raised by parents that were bi-products of the Great Depression.  Thus our grandparents were very conservative and wouldn’t spend a nickel for fear that it would be needed the next day or next month.  Some parents would even mix saltine crackers with scrambled eggs to maximize the meal even if they could afford two eggs for every family member for breakfast.

Our parents became a little more progressive, and enjoyed their lives to a different level but still conservative.  Our parents still maintained a rainy day fund, after all they still didn’t enjoy sick leave and vacation or health insurance from their jobs.  If you had a reasonable savings, perhaps you could plan on a sensible vacation, otherwise you worked all year round.  God forbid you fell ill, you may have to take time from work and not be earning the income that you were accustomed to.  I am aware that there were exceptions, where the person might be working for a relative, and some special consideration might be extended.

The majority of employers in the 1950’s were made of small businesses (better known as mom and pop operations).  Those small businesses were getting a small return on their investment, because they weren’t gouging the customers as corporation do now-a-days.  All you have to do is check the disparity in paychecks between the front line worker of a large corporation and the millions paid to the CEO and top administrators.

Once again digress.  The object of this post was to write about the wonderful memories we have of a more enjoyable time in our lives when life was so basic, and simple.  As late as the mid-1980’s my cable costs were $7.95 per month, but now you get many more channels you might say.  The funny thing is I now have less time to sit and watch the television than I did in mid-1980.  I still watch maybe 4 to 6 channels, and don’t need the other 800 plus channels.

1976 Chevy Monte Carlo

 

In 1976 I paid $7,200.00 plus tax license and financing for a 1976 Chevrolet Monte Carlo (loaded).  Today a similar type and equipped car starts at over $30,000 (a 2014 Impala SS starts at $64,000 fully loaded) (the same price applies to a 2014 Camaro SS).

I am grateful for all the medical advances however, and unfortunately the average American can’t afford it.  Have you compared your utility bills lately to even the 1990’s?  To top it all we use to drink free water, now we have been sold on the idea that we must get our drinking water from a plastic bottle.  At a time when cities and States are fighting to ban plastic bags from grocery stores we produce more and more plastic waste from water bottles.

Once again life is what it is, I’m just passing on what I’m hearing on my Facebook page.  May I recommend that you enjoy a cup of tea or a cup of hot chocolate (or your favorite drink for that matter) before you go to bed at night, and spend the last 20 or 30 minutes before you close your eyes remembering the great times you spent growing up amongst your brothers and sisters, cousins, and friends.  If you are like me your thoughts will transfer into your dreams and you most likely will wake up relaxed and happy (happier).  The best is yet to come…

Halloween Stories 11

The Haunting of Kanaka Pete the Axe Murderer     

by L. Marie

I was recently browsing the internet and came across the story of Kanaka Pete at www.kanakapete.com this brought back a personal experience I had with Kanaka Pete. I would like to share it with you.

In the fall of 2007 I was attending University in Nanaimo BC, Canada. A few weeks before Halloween my boyfriend and I took the guided, haunted tour of Nanaimo. During the tour we heard the story of Kanaka Pete.

Kanaka Pete was a big Hawaiian that lived in Nanaimo with his native wife and their infant daughter. In 1867, after a night of drinking, Kanaka Pete returned home to find his wife’s parents in his home and his wife told him she was leaving him. Pete left and got totally intoxicated. He returned around midnight to find his Father-in-law in the act of adultery (incest) with Pete’s wife, while the Mother-in-law watched and the baby lay beside them. In a drunken fit of rage Pete grabbed an axe and did not stop swinging until his wife, her parents and his daughter were all chopped into pieces.

He fled to Newcastle Island where he was hunted down and captured. After a rushed trial he was hung. He vowed he would return and have vengeance. This scared the locals to the point that neither the Europeans nor Natives wanted him buried on their land. He was taken to Newcastle Island, a former smallpox colony that was uninhabited and they buried him in a makeshift, unmarked grave.

Our tour guide told us that his evil spirit still lurks the far side of Newcastle Island looking for revenge and to never be on the far side of Newcastle Island after dark.

This was the most interesting of all the ghost stories we heard that night. My boyfriend and I thought it would be real exciting to go camping on Newcastle Island the following Saturday, especially because it was close to Halloween with the thrill of maybe finding out more about Kanaka Pete.

When we got to the Island we saw signs saying no camping beyond this point. We spoke with one old timer there and were told that for our safety it was dangerous to camp past the signs. He told us spirits that have unfinished business still roam near their graves and that Kanaka Pete is confined to a certain area of the Island.

We set up our camp on the safe side. While we were camping we saw some people in kayaks heading towards the far side of the Island. We never saw them return.

Before dark we took a little hike part way on the far side of the Island. We came across the body of a dead rabbit with its head chopped off. It looked as though it had just happened. That was really freaky as we did not see anyone around there. We headed straight back to camp.

When we took the little ferry over to Newcastle it was a calm sunny day during the night it got cloudy and the winds came up making it even spookier. The winds became very high and the night air became chilling cold.

During the night we started to hear some of the scariest noises. Shortly after we went into our tent for the night we thought we heard a scream coming from the far side of the Island. This really spooked us. Not too long after that we heard more terrifying screaming followed by the sound of chopping. This happened many times throughout the night. It was the most terrifying thing we had ever heard. We wanted to leave the Island but the little ferry would not be back until morning. We were chilled to the bone with fright. Shortly after midnight we heard what sounded like a fierce demonic roar and more screaming followed by violent chopping then the most eerie laughter. Needless to say we spent the entire night huddled together scared to death. We tried calling on our cell phones but we had no reception all through the night, we had reception earlier in the day and the next morning.

Before that night I did not believe in ghosts and thought ghost stories were fun and amusing but after my experience that has now changed.

That was the most frightening and horrific night of my life. I believe there is something very evil on the far side of that Island, we could feel it and we did hear it! I will never forget that cold October night on Newcastle Island and I believe to this day the ghost of the evil axe murder Kanaka Pete was nearby. If we would have ignored the warning signs and camped on the far side of the Island that night I feel we would never have returned. That is one more reason why I don’t like camping.  The best is yet to come….

The Meaning of Dreams

The Meaning of Dreams

Popularizing Dream Interpretation

·       Since the 1970s, dream interpretation has grown increasingly popular thanks to work by authors such as Ann Faraday. In books such as The Dream Game, Faraday outlined techniques and ideas than anyone can use to interpret their own dreams. Today, consumers can purchase a wide variety of books that offer dream dictionaries, symbol guides and tips for interpreting and understanding dreams.

·       Dream research will undoubtedly continue to grow and generate interest from people interested in understanding the meaning of their dreams. However, dream expert G. William Domhoff recommends that "...unless you find your dreams fun, intellectually interesting, or artistically inspiring, then feel free to forget your dreams." Others such as Cartwright and Kaszniak propose that dream interpretation may actually reveal more about the interpreter than it does about the meaning of the dream itself.

·       "A dream is a work of art which requires of the dreamer no particular talent, special training, or technical competence. Dreaming is a creative enterprise in which all may and most do participate." – Clark S. Hall

I dream almost always, I suppose that I dream all the time, I’m just not always aware.  Every once in a while more often than not I will have a dream that stays in my mind after I wake up.  On occasion, I will even mention it to my wife in the morning.  I’m not always looking for a discussion, but whenever I am, my wife will participate and give me her perspective.

My most recent dream overnight production, was very special, and I know that it originated from wishful thinking: Some distant relative, was getting married.  I was in my present married status, and my children while not prominent in my dream were all in the background at their present age, and status. My home was in Eastern Washington, while not one that I have actually lived in, it had many characteristics (combinations of features) of different homes we have owned or lived in. I actually recognized parts of the landscaping surrounding our home, and other-buildings (metal sheds) on the property.

The wedding was taking place on that very day, my mother and step-father were over at the property (private residence) where the event was taking place (in my dream, my step-father was about 45 years old, he passed away in his 90’s).  My wife was also helping with last minute preparations for the event.  I was at home (my home) doing something out in the yard and thinking of getting ready to head to the wedding.  For some reason that doesn’t fit in the scenario, a bakery van showed up to drop off the wedding cake (this is how you know it was a dream) no rhyme or reason why the cake would get dropped off at our house.

While the cake is being placed on a banquet table, another full size 8 passenger van pulls into our driveway and my two grand mothers and sister get off. (Other young cousins were with them).  I greet them with an embrace but I act more confused than excited.  I study their facial features up close and they look very much as I remember them.  I don’t mention their relationship to me: example I don’t say, “Hello abuelita (grandma).”  I show pleasure at seeing them but almost like I don’t acknowledge them, as if even in the dream, I realize that their presence is not possible.  I stay busy and walk away with someone to do whatever I was doing before I was interrupted.

As I walk away I realize what a blessing it is to see my two grandmothers and sister, and I reason that my mother is going to be overjoyed to see them.  I walk back to where I left them standing, and I give them a real strong hug, and tell them how much I love them, and how happy I am that they could come.  I also mention to them that my mother will be very happy to see them,

My two grandmothers, my sister, mother and step-father have all gone to their heavenly reward many years ago, and I realize that this dream was nothing more than a subconscious wish.  I miss them every day, and I will see them and hug them again someday.  The best is yet to come….

Lurking Evil 2

Lurking Evil 2

 

This post is an update to: “Lurking Evil”, posted October 22, 2013, http://www.being50.com/2013/10/lurking-evil.html

It would break my heart to run into her room, and see the tears streaming down her face, while screaming at the top of her little lungs and trembling.  I swear if I had known than what was scaring her, I would have asked that evil to take me on instead. 

Even after determining that there was a pattern of waking up at midnight I didn’t connect the dots.  When you are raised into a good church going god fearing young adult you don’t have a sinister mind that immediately jumps to conclusions or goes to the dark side as a first option.  My first thought was that she was ill perhaps a stomach ache or an ear ache.  About a week after the problem began I decided to sit in a rocking chair in her room next to the crib, and see what was waking her up.

At around 11:50 she started to act restless coming out of a deep sleep.  At first I thought she was going to sleep through the midnight hour, but she didn’t.  By 12 midnight sharp she was wide awake and screaming sitting up in the middle of her crib.  She hurriedly stood up using the crib adjustable (up/down) side to help herself stand up.  The minute she saw me in the room, she stretched her little arms towards me as in asking to be lifted out of her crib.  I took her to the master bedroom and put her back to sleep.  As usual she slept until morning once she went back to sleep.  This event took place on a Friday night.  The very next morning I called my mother to discuss that the baby was going through this problem of not being able to sleep through the night.

In my culture (I am of Mexican descent) we believe in “Curanderos,” especially the older generation (like my parents and grandparents).  My mother believed (past down from my grandmother) in treating people for “Espanto.”  As an example Espanto doesn’t have to be supernatural, it can be as basic as falling or almost falling into a river, or falling off of a roof.  It’s the act of something unnatural such as falling or almost getting hit by a car.  I’m sure the root of this belief also deals with supernatural occurrences.  My mother requested that I bring the baby over to her house (about 50 miles away) or she would come and visit (the sooner the better).  I decided to make the drive.

My mother saw things that I had not been seeing.  She told me that the baby had circles under her eyes most likely from lack of sleep.  Definitely a sign that something was wrong.  She recommended that I take her to a Catholic Priest to give her a blessing, and to have the house blessed as well.

When I talked to the priest and told him the whole almost two week story, he told me that he wouldn’t be able to travel to my town to bless the house (50 miles away), but he did offer a blessing to the baby, and gave me the name of a traveling priest that went to various church parishes, as assigned by the church.  He asked that I tell him everything and that I mention that he came recommended from the one church in Salinas.

That same day I went in search of the priest.  He wasn’t easy to locate especially on the weekend because he moved around the area to various churches (but he always returned to a base where he lived).  After returning to his residence for the third time, I was able to make contact with him.  He asked me if I was aware of the houses’ history, and I told him that I wasn’t.  He explained that sometimes the history of a house can cause evil spirits to linger after someone is killed, tortured, abused or drugs are used, even perform devil worship.

He mentioned that he was leaving the area early the next morning and wouldn’t be able to visit my home any earlier then the following weekend.  However, he didn’t think it was wise to continue to live in that house without intervention.  He told me what I needed to do to protect the house and the family from evil manifestations or influences.  At the risk of sounding overwhelmed by my desire to protect my baby and home, I will only divulge in general terms what I was asked to do.

I started out by buying an adequate supply of Mustard seed.  I stood at my main entrance to the house facing out. I applied the seed around the perimeter of the house going to the left and completely going around the house arriving at the front door from the right side.  The whole time repeating the same two prayers I was given nonstop.  Finally I placed a sewing needle in the baby’s room exterior window, leaving it there permanently.  That night and thereafter the baby slept uninterrupted through the night.  Since that time way back then, I always perform that ritual for any new house that we move to.  My baby (many years later) and I recently returned from a one week vacation in Southern California.  The best is yet to come….

Lurking Evil

Lurking Evil

 

When my first born daughter was around 4 months old, she was healthy, had a great appetite, and very bright.  Of course you expect that to be said by every parent with at least their first child.  In all honesty I’ve always been amazed by the intellect that my children are born with.  This girl was beautiful, and was crawling, and standing up in her crib.  She would take every one of her toys and not just play with it, but in fact would analyze every toy as if trying to figure out how it worked.

This baby was my pride and joy, and I would do whatever was necessary to make sure that she was well provided for.  Her meals were always timely, her medical care was also extremely important to me, I believe that even she would admit, that she was daddy’s little girl.

Unfortunately because of my youth I was unable to provide her with the one thing that I consider essential for safety and to keep her safe from unwanted influences not of this world.  The essential necessity in my way of thinking, is a brand new home that would be her shelter without any previous history or influences. 

Life for us was very stable around that time and I had just worked my way into a big job related promotion, opening a new industrial plant in Santa Cruz California.  You could say that I was the company’s “Golden Haired Boy,” that is to say, that everything I did was perfect.  I could do no wrong in the eyes of the company (I was the go-to-guy).  For my young age I had just taken my first (as manager) location from 68^th place ranking, out of 80 location to 3^rd place in productivity performance.  I had also brought it to 2^nd place from 74^th place in Budget (expenditures).  All of that was accomplished within 15 months of my joining the company and taking over the production management.

While everything seems to be going in the right direction, my promotion to a new location in a resort type town and in my eyes “paradise,” comes with side effects.  I never complained then and I am not complaining now.  Believe me, my promotion/assignment made me the envy of close to 300 managers that included Plant Managers, Production Managers, Sales Managers, and even a couple of Vice Presidents from Home Office.  The only other coveted assignment was Las Vegas.  However, as the saying goes be careful what you wish for.

My problem was that while I had a great job, and salary to go with it, I was young, and never knew when I could be transferred, so for that reason, I didn’t buy a new home, that plus cost prohibitive housing costs at the time for the area.  So I rented a very nice 2 bedroom in an above average neighborhood.  Almost immediately the problem manifested itself.

From the first day we moved in my little princess would start crying at exactly 12 midnight.  The first few days I wasn’t concerned because I didn’t see the pattern.  As, I am sure many of us are in the habit of looking at the bedside clock when awakened in the night, I started to notice she would always start screaming at exactly midnight.  It would break my heart to run into her room, and see the tears streaming down her face, while screaming at the top of her little lungs and trembling.  I swear if I had known than what was scaring her, I would have asked that evil to take me on instead.  I will need to follow up this post with “Lurking Evil 2.” The best is yet to come….

Halloween Stories 10

 

                                                            PhantomVehicle                                                                                                                                    Author Unknown

In August of 2006, I saw a “phantom” car/vehicle on Angeles Crest Highway 2 in Tujunga, California. It was late evening, about 10:00 pm. My friend who lives in the canyon parked my Jeep on the side of the two-lane highway so he could get some belongings from his home. I waited in the car for maybe 15 minutes at most. I was sitting facing oncoming cars, and only as they turned a very sharp bend in the road in front of me did I just begin to see their headlights coming down and around. This highway is narrow with no street lamps many curves and absolutely zero visibility after dark…

On my side I saw headlights eventually approaching from behind and then disappear pretty quickly up the pitch dark road. Sitting in the front passenger seat of my Jeep I could not even see the hood of my car nor outside my windows… I only noticed my friend as he was standing right outside the car door. So, I see a few cars pass by, with headlights and taillights, and then around the sharp turn facing me comes a car with no headlights. My first thought was how in the world this person is driving without headlights, what reason at all to even attempt it. I knew it to be impossible, but I was just transfixed on this car watching it drive past me. Looking for any light or a driver hunched over the steering wheel to view the lines in the road possibly?!

It passed by me very slowly quietly no driver nor passengers and no lights. I sat there baffled, the car passes right alongside of me, so I try to see the driver (maybe their head is glued to the windshield to see, but still impossible!) and I do not see anybody. My eyes followed the car as it passed me by to see if it had taillights that perhaps the driver was breaking frequently in order to drive this way, but I saw no taillights either. The car was moving very slowly which I first thought was what the driver had to do in order to even attempt what I saw. It looked like an old Buick (sedan?) two-door, steel grey color (sorry, don’t know much about types of cars).

My friend came back to the Jeep just as the car passed, so I asked him if he saw it walking back up the road, and he said no. I quickly told him I was going to drive back out to see if I could catch up to it since it was moving so slow, but I never did. There are no exits or turn-offs for at least a few miles further out of the canyon… it disappeared.

If you are of the type that has an inquisitive mind, you will not settle for an occurrence that doesn’t make sense or leaves you hanging.  I am of that type of mind set, I also have the kind of personality that knows when things are best left alone.  With regard to supernatural or paranormal, some questions are best left unanswered.  The best is yet to come….

 

 

 

 

 

 

Halloween Stories 9

Country Hospitality

This took place in 2007 when I was traveling to Ohio for my Uncles funeral. It was a very dark and lonely stretch of country road. Thanks to a country bumpkin at my last fuel stop, giving me bogus directions which were supposed to be a short cut. I had been driving for three hours without seeing another living soul. My only companion was the harvest moon over head in the night sky. The radio was nothing but static. My eyes searched the darkness ahead for any sign of life.

Just when I was running out of hope and fuel, up ahead I saw a light shining out of the darkness. My car sputtered out of gas as I coasted into the parking lot of an old mom and pop style truck stop. I had to push my car the last twenty feet to the pumps. As I put the car in park an elderly gent came running out and started to pump fuel into my gas tank. He said hi names Bob while I fill her up why don’t you go on in the wife has vittles ready. I thought it was strange that out here in the middle of nowhere at three in the morning anyone would have food ready in case a traveler happened by. But I was hungry and went on in to the restaurant, there a kindly old woman was setting food on the table, a feast fit for a king. As I ate she kept my coffee cup filled with piping hot coffee, and kept the food coming, until I couldn’t eat another bite.

I thought the bill would be unbelievably high, but she only charged me five dollars. I thought for these prices I would make a point to stop back in here on my return trip.

As I paid Bob for the fuel I asked him for directions back to the highway. He told me best way to go, then said son you look to tired to travel why don’t you catch a nap in the parking lot. It’s pretty quiet and no one will bother you.

I thought why not, so I nodded off in my car, only planning on a quick cat nap.

I guess I was more tired than I thought. It was well into morning when I was awakened by a tapping on my window. It was a police officer, he wanted to know if I was alright. I told him that I was fine and about to resume my trip.

When he asked me why I was parked at a burned out deserted truck stop. That’s when I took a look around, and got the shock of my life. The place was a burned out shell that looked like no one had been there in twenty odd years.

I told the officer all about my previous night’s experience, the whole time he just smiled and nodded.

When I finished relaying my tale, he said Bob and Sarah owned this place until about twenty five years back when they both passed away in the freak electrical fire that took this place. And from time to time we hear from lost and stranded travelers about them returning to give aid and comfort in times of great need. So just write it off to our local guardian angels Bob and Sarah.

As I pulled back on the road I felt a warmth knowing that Bob and Sarah were looking down on me from up in heaven. Thanks again Bob and Sarah, and keep up the good work.

This story was submitted to Archive X on December 21 2011, name not available.  The best is yet to come….

Halloween Stories 8

HOTEL GHOST

Ghost Writer

 

We were set for a lazy day at Galveston beach. My husband and I plopped down on some lounge chairs under a huge umbrella and planted our bare feet in the sand.  It wasn't long before a man wearing a t-shirt with the words BEACH BUM written on it came to charge for the rental.  He overheard us talking about the GHOST TOURS OF GALVESTON ISLAND.  

 

"Did you go on the ghost tour? He asked.  "I've never been. How was it?" We explained to him that we had gone on the tour the night before and had experienced some strange things. "I just hope my camera captured something," I said.  I praised our tour guide "Grace" who was entertaining and took us to the sight of some real ghost stories.  He was curious and I elaborated, "The tour starts at the Moody Railroad Station and includes various historic buildings on THE STRAND. The ghost tour culminates at the Tremont Hotel."  The young man suddenly turned ashen. 

 

"Did you say the Tremont hotel?  I use to work there. We had a lot of paranormal activity at the hotel.  I can tell you from personal experience, it's definitely haunted!   In the lobby there are three pictures hanging on the wall.   Every day we had to straighten them.  You would set them right side up, go about your business and in minutes they would go back to being tilted.  I mean if it was one picture, you could logically dismiss it.  But all three?   Not a day would pass by that you wouldn't have to straighten them up and then they would go back to being tilted on their right side.  It was creepy."

 

He asked us if we remembered seeing the enormous palm tree in the middle of the lobby. ”Yes, it's huge and impressive.......almost touches the ceiling." Then he described several occasions in which certain guests got unexpectedly brushed by a falling palm leaf.  ”It happened several times. No one is ever hurt.  But a palm leaf falling from a high altitude would always startle the chosen guest.  Management would do their best to appease them.  I tell you, it was as if a ghost was taunting us at the hotel!"  

 

Then I relayed our experience the night of the ghost tour.  Grace, our tour guide had just told a ghost tale about "the salesman" from the late 1800's who is said to haunt the Tremont as well as the building next door where he is believed to have been murdered. She explained that the elevator on the right-hand side seemed to have a mind of its own.  Many guests have reported ghostly activity.  She did not press the elevator button but instead waited until it opened of its own accord.  As soon as the elevator doors opened and remained opened for several seconds, everyone quickly started flashing their cameras in hopes of capturing something paranormal.  I was at the back and just as I made my way toward the front, the elevator started to close.  

 

"Oh no" I said aloud in disappointment. I knew I had gotten there too late to take a photograph.  Just then, the elevator with its doors halfway closed, unexpectedly stopped and reopened.  

 

No one had pressed the elevator button, at least no one we could see. Everyone at the tour gasped.  I flashed my camera.  I had one picture left.   Later when I developed my film, to my surprise a strange tormented face appeared in the lower right hand corner of the elevator. This was not a reflection and the elevator was empty when I took the photograph!

 

In my way of being I will never, run into an apparition (ghost – spirit) on purpose.  I once went to the Winchester House (San Jose, California) and paid for the tour.  It was somber, and spooky, but I was young (in my early 20’s), I suppose that I can claim that my brain wasn’t fully developed.  I can attest that I haven’t purposely gone in search of since that time nor do I have it in my plans.  The best is yet to come….