Dereliction of Duty and the Ghostesses

Ghost Guardians in NV, Photo Source

I started writing this post for you to give you an update about the ghost in our house, and then I realized I’ve never told you about the ghost in our house! How awful of me. I could have sworn that I’ve told this story to you before, but I can’t find the post for the life of me, and now I’ve realized I’ve been remiss in my duties to you, the reader. I’m so very sorry.

So now I have to give you some background on the weirdest ghost in the history of ghosts. Or, at least as far as I can tell. Maybe it’s an Elemental, like a Sylph. All I know is that it’s relatively friendly. A happy ghost, if you will. None of us are scared of it.

I have a theory: those who are raised in a household or area where ghosts are commonplace discussion and completely acceptable are far more likely to actually see ghosts. To which you likely will say, “Well, of course, Sarah. If it’s okay to believe, and everyone around you believes, then you will believe as well.”

There’s more, however. I believe the big kicker is that those who’ve seen something very odd as children are much more likely to believe in ghosts. Those who never saw anything out of the ordinary which could not be explained are far less likely to believe as adults. This explains why I believe in ghosts and J—who believes in aliens (I have a hard time with this, since to me, paranormal is paranormal, and ghosts seem much  more likely in this world than aliens ever stopping by to visit)—does not support my ghost beliefs or the weird shit the kids have seen, in any way.

So, while J will not say to our faces that he thinks we’re bat-shit crazy, he mocks us about what he calls the ‘ghostesses’. You’ll just have to imagine the creepy Hitchcock voice he uses. Also, keep in mind, this is a man who got so freaked out when I took him to the Spooklight near my hometown and a black cat crossed the dirt road in front of us in the night that he screamed at politely asked me to take him home immediately.

Spooklight Road, aka Devil's Promenade; Photo Source

 See? I grew up near the Spooklight. J did not. I grew up near Civil War battlefields and cemeteries. J grew up near McDonald-Douglass. I believe in ghosts. He believes in aliens. Theory proven.

I’ve seen some weird shit in my day, but the things that go on in my house right now are some of the weirdest. It started a couple of months after we moved in with bright flashes of blue light. They always seemed to come from outside our back patio door. Once it happened while I was outside in the front of the house. Everyone in this house has seen these lights- J included. They are not headlights, or shooting stars, or alien ships. And, the oddest part: they only really seem to occur in the fall and winter.

Yep, our ghost is seasonal.

After the lights had been going on while, the ghost upped the ante. We started getting cold spots about two to three feet off the ground, again, at the back of the house. Then, after that, we started to have books randomly fall off the bookshelves in our bedroom. And I mean that we’re sitting downstairs (all of us, including the dog) and then we hear big thumps above our heads, and then we go upstairs, and a half-dozen books are now off the shelves and on the floors. Then K started seeing a shadow in his room. Then his closet light became capable of turning itself on and off in the night. Then, one time, his backpack was emptied and his books and binders found themselves in about six places across the room.

The biggest feats of ghostliness came about in the winter before last. First, there was the time the ghost decided to join movie night. We were all sitting in the living room, watching a movie, and directly above me (I was laying on the loveseat) I clearly heard someone say, “Hey!” Both of the boys heard it, the dog heard it and started barking at the corner of the ceiling above me, and I heard it. J swears he did not. And it’s important to note that this wasn’t a mean, menacing, “Hey! I plan to murder you in your sleep!” It was more like, “Hey! Pass the popcorn, would ya?”

Then there was the wrought iron family tree on top of the bookshelf in our bedroom which shook for countless minutes. Of its own volition.  J was certain we were having an earthquake (instead of a ghost incident) until he finally got out of bed and walked over to the bookshelf, and placed his hand on it. Then it stopped. This is the only occurrence J will admit to experiencing.

So, now you know more about the ghost. Or Sylph. Or whatever it is.  Except there’s one more story to tell. And that’s when I banished the thing from our house.

Last Thanksgiving, after J’s grandmother died, he was finishing a few things up at work while I packed our bags. I was gathering items from all three bedrooms, but every time I’d come back to my own, where I’d pack the suitcases on my bed, there’d be books out from the bookshelf again. After the fourth or fifth time, I was frustrated. I was sad, packing to do something that none of us want to do, and fed up with the books on the floor. “ENOUGH ALREADY! I don’t have time for this shit! Stop it!”

It did stop. For the entire winter we were ghost-shenanigans-free. Not a light, not a book, not a cold spot to be found. There was no Sophie barking at corners or wagging her tail for no apparent person. It was actually kind of lonely in the house.  I came to regret demanding that the ghostesses leave. As much as I hate to say this, I didn’t exactly like the idea of causing some elemental who wasn’t doing us any harm to flee.

But now, that seems to have changed. I think we may have our Sylph back in residence…and yes, I am going all ‘to-be-continued’ on you here! Mwah-ha-ha-ha! Check back on Friday for the newest update to the story!

Do you believe in ghosts? And what do you think of my theory? If you believe, did you see something in childhood as well?