Saturday, May 14, 2011

DO YOU BELIEVE IN GHOSTS?

SHARE YOUR GHOST STORY


I recently booked a trip to Cape May, located at the Southern tip of Cape May Penisula in Cape May County, New Jersey, where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean.

 Sourse: Wikepedia.

 It's the nation's oldest seashore resort,  and is well know for it's ghost stories. It got me thinking about a contest. My release Echoes at Dawn is a love story and ghost story.

Here's the blurb.

The strangely intertwined lives of a widowed woman, and a charismatic bachelor come together in order to show that in life, there are no coincidences… only destiny.

Waterfront restaurant chef Madeline Young adores her job. If only her love and family's lives were as successful as her career.  With a teenage son, who spends time in the emergency room for alcohol poisoning and a dementia-plagued mother, Madeline doesn't know how much more she could handle. Then her mother enlists the help of her deceased twin sister, Mary, to guide Madeline to true happiness.  An early dawn visit from the spirit directs Madeline to volunteer at the local hospitals center for addiction recovery, where she comes alive for the first time in many years under the attention of Nat Griffin.

Nathaniel Griffin, a part-time counselor and contractor, fascinates his clients with his lectures.  In keeping with his philosophy of professionalism, Nat prefers to keep his personal life private.  When attraction tests his beliefs, Nat must confront his marred past. Is he willing to face his demons or take the easier path and remain isolated?

Can unworldly ghosts save this couple from their own self-destructive behavior?

                                                                                                            
One of my favorite things to do after dinner in Cape May is to take a horse and carriage ride through town. The tour guide is always well informed on the area, and he ends the night with a good ghost story.




Do you have a ghost story to tell? Or have you had an experience with an unusual sound in the night, or ever witness an object move without being touched? I'd love to here about it. All you have to do is comment, or tell me about your experience. If you don't have a story, you can make a comment to enter the contest.

 One random winner will win a beautiful pendant. It's handcrafted, and I purchased it at Club RT in LA this April. The contest will run for a month. It will end on June 14 and I'll announce the winner on June 15. I'll post the winner on my blog. Please include your email address in your comment. I can't wait to here your stories. The contest is open to everyone, so don't be shy. 

I've gotten so many wondeful ghost stories, so I decided to add another prize. I'll pick two random commenters. 


                                                             FIRST PRIZE

 

                                             Cameo's by: Rae Bradury-Enslin

                                             SECOND PRIZE random picked commenter will receive this beautiful cameo.

My website. http://kathleenanngallagher.net/Home.html
Echoes at Dawn available here. http://www.decadentpublishing.com/advanced_search_result.php?osCsid=6c1232251c1e45744bd0b3ee7262f414&categories_id=&inc_subcat=1&pfrom=0&pto=999999&dfrom=&dto=&manufacturers_id=70 

52 comments:

Gracen Miller said...

I thought I’d get the ball rolling for you, Kathleen, and maybe folks wouldn’t be so shy posting. I’ll give you my ghost experience. I was 11 and on the weekends I visited with my father, my step-mother, Debbi, and I would go shopping before we came home for the evening. At the time my father owned a bar, so he had late hours. He’s a Baptist preacher now, so go figure, huh? LOL Anyway, we pulled into the drive and I saw a figure of someone hunched down along the bushes at the back of the house. I could see the white outline of his T-shirt, but not his face, arms or pants. Being dark outside, I didn’t think about not being able to see those parts of his body. But I was 11 and all I could think about was that someone was at the back of the yard and they planned to hurt us. I mentioned the man to Debbi and she looked, but said no one was there. Plain as day, I could see his white T-shirt! With my heart climbing into my throat, we climbed out of the car and walked toward the front door. As we did, the figure stood up, and followed us toward the house. This happened several weekends in a row, and each weekend, the figure grew closer to us until he stood at the bottom of the steps as Debbi unlocked the door. Even though I couldn’t see his face, I could feel his stare and he wasn’t happy we were there. I grew panicky, told Debbi someone stood at the bottom of the steps. She turned around and looked and again told me no one was there. Terrified, I nearly knocked her down to get inside the house once the door was unlocked. That night as I lay in my bed, I heard two things at different times…someone raking in the backyard and someone rocking back and forth. All of my great-aunts saw the same apparition in my father’s house. FYI, my great-grandfather died of a heart attack in that house. He was seated in his rocking chair in the room used as my bedroom, he asked for a glass of water and by the time my grandmother got back to the room he was dead.

That’s Ghost Story #1…hopefully, you’ll get more.

Huggles,
Gracen

Kathleen Ann Gallagher's Place to Reflect said...

Love it!! Thank you so much for sharing this story, Gracen. I got chills reading it. Spooky!!!

My comment does not count as an entry, but your story does. lol

Gracen Miller said...

That was my "first" incident with a ghost, Kathleen, well, if you don't count the ghost that lived in our house growing up. Everyone heard it, including my mother and all my friends. And none of them ever saw ghosts or heard things normally, but they all agreed that there was a ghost in that house. But none of them felt any negativity coming from him. He also turned the TV and kitchen light on a time or two. I used to think of him as a "protector" more than a ghost though.

Huggles,
Gracen

Kathleen Ann Gallagher's Place to Reflect said...

I know what you mean when you say protector. He wasn't there to frighten you. Maybe he used to live there.

Gracen Miller said...

That's exactly what I thought, that he might have once lived there.

Maureen said...

Well, I haven't any direct experience with human ghosts, but it isn't uncommon at all for me the hear the bells of one of the cats we lost years ago. Smudge worked in the metaphysical store with me, he was the store cat. The owner bred exotic Persians and when Smudge's stud days were over she asked if I'd like to give him a home.

We were close at the store! ;-)

He came home with us and lived many happy years. He had the loveliest copper colored eyes and would gaze at me with such intensity. We were close.

After he was gone, we buried him in the backyard...but I still hear his distinctive little bell tinkling to the funny little way he would scamper about.

Nope. Haven't seen him. But I hear him!

And now and then, on the edge of sleep in the early morning, I have felt the warmth of my old beagle, Archie, snuggle up to me.

I guess we provide such good homes, our animal children never really leave. Which is fine by me.

Kathleen Ann Gallagher's Place to Reflect said...

What a wonderful story, Maureen. Smudge must have been precious. Sure, our beloved pets stick around. It's comforting to know their still around us, even if we can't see them.

Thanks for sharing your story.

Gracen Miller said...

Aww...Maureen! What a heartwarming story!! I've dreamed about the pets I've lost, but I've never had a visit from one. I envy you!!

Huggles,
Gracen

Author Leanne Dyck said...

What a fun contest! Here's my offering.

In the mid-90s, when I was a newly wed, I decided to return to school while still working full-time. This decision meant I spent many hours by myself in my study--slumped over textbooks. From this time, I often overheard my husband's comings and goings.
One evening as I was reading an especially complicated passage, I suddenly felt a warm presence. I looked up expecting to see my husband leaning against the doorframe--he wasn't there. I was alone, but the warm presence remained.
That's weird I thought.
Even though it was winter, I smelt lilac. It was a familiar fragrance--it smelt like my grandma's hand lotion.
Faintly I heard a sound. Listening closely, it sounded like words. "Don't worry, elsken, everything will be okay." The voice was familiar--it belonged to my grandma.
How can that be? She's in a nursing home--three provinces away--back home in Manitoba.
The phone rang, my husband answered. "Hi, how's it go-- Oh...oh...I'm so sorry. No, it's okay I'll tell her."
He replaced the receiver, walked into my study and drew me into his arms. "Leanne, I have some bad news."
I fought threw my tears. "Grandma passed away."
"Yes, but how did you..."
"She was here. She said good bye."

I'll help promote your contest on my blog.
All the best

Author Leanne Dyck said...

Sorry, Kathleen I forgot to include my email address: leanne@oknitting.com

Kathleen Ann Gallagher's Place to Reflect said...

Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful story, Leanne. Your Grandma's special goodbye will remain with you always.

JM said...

Wow! Mine isn't as heart-wrenching, sorry.
We moved into a big, cedar-sided house in ohio that had had a father-in-law's apartment added on to one side of the building. We actually liked that side of the house better, so we moved into the apartment. Sometimes, at night, you would get a flash of movement out of the corner of your eye when you were in or around the bedroom. We found out years after we had lived there that the father-in-law had died in OUR bedroom. He wasn't malevolent or anything. He'd just pop up now and then. I'm sure he got a show some nights!
Great contest Kathleen!

Kathleen Ann Gallagher's Place to Reflect said...

Thanks for sharing your ghost story, Jennifer. Sometimes they hang around for a while. He must have loved his visits!

Robert C Roman said...

Where ARE you located, Kathleen? It sounds like you're less than a day-trip by car from Cape May, and I *know* I'm closer than that (I drive to Delaware on a regular basis). We've got to get together sometime and talk writerly shop!

Anywho, the only ghost story I've got is one I'm stealing from my little sister. One day when she was around two or three, she told my mom, dad and I that there was a 'man in the hallway' last night. My parents, of course, got all freaked, and asked her what the man lookd like.

She proceeded to describe my paternal grandfather, well enough that all three of us knew who she was talking about, including me, who only vaguely remembered him from when *I* was two.

Thing is, he died when I was still two years old, and I'm seven years older than my sister. She was describing someone, in detail, who died seven years before the night in question.

OK, that's all I've got. I'm tapped out on ghost stories now. :-)

Kathleen Ann Gallagher's Place to Reflect said...

Hey Robert, I'm in Metuchen. It takes about two hours to get to Cape May from here. We go every year. We're neighbors! We must get together. I attend the LSFW, Create Something Magical Conference In NJ regularly.

Thanks for sharing your ghost story. Sounds like Grandpa came to visit. Cool!

Anonymous said...

I have many a ghost story, I think I just attract them! :)

One that isn't about me is about a family that made Unsolved Mysteries, and whose son rode the same bus as me in school. They had a haunted bunk bed. Not kidding. They brought the bunk bed into the house, CRAZY stuff began happening, dangerous stuff, knives thrown across the room, sleeping kids levitating, etc.

Once they took the bunk bed out and destroyed it, the incidents stopped. Another family close to where I lived had their lawn mowed by a ghost. As in, the mower started and moved across the lawn and back BY ITSELF. It was on the news. Very crazy.

lindsey hutchison @ United By Books said...

well i have plenty of stories i could tell but ill tell the two that kinda inter-connect. 10 yrs ago my sister was murdered. a little after when i was at work which was in a theatre i went to the arcade to check it out there was no one there at the time and i heard my name called in her voice. at first i thought i was losing it cause it was loud and there. so i walked out asking my employees if they called my name and they said no. a little bit later my mom asked my to get her a digital recorder as we watch all these ghost shows and they use them so i went to walmart picked on up that night she tried it out and on the very first recording we got her it sounded like she was crying saying im so sorry. we still have the recording. after that diff lil stuff happened like a light would go on that was off. there was a stuffed animal in the garage that all of a sudden when i walked out in the garage just started speaking but only that one night never since. on my brothers birthday there was a happy birthday balloon in our tree which was ironic.

i chose my sister's spirit over the ghost guy from when i was a young girl. things still happen we miss her maybe this is her way of letting us know something.

babydoll82959307(at)aol(dot)com

Terri Osburn said...

What interesting stories. I've never seen a ghost, thank goodness, but I have played with a ouija board and I know I wasn't moving it. In fact, when I was 13 I asked for the initials of the man I would marry. It took a couples after I'd actually gotten married to realize the ouija board had been right. Cree. Py. LOL!

Deena said...

Hey Kathleen,
Just a few months ago, in our last house, I had an experience I cannot explain. I was sleeping, hard, but was coming out of it a bit since my daughter had been waking me during the night for a long time and disrupted my sleep cycle. Iwas on my back and my feet were spread a bit. Suddenly, I felt three hard taps on the spread between my legs. I immediately opened my eyes and looked around thinking it was my daughter. It wasn't. Nobody was there.

Lindsey, sweetie, squeezy hugs going out to you my dear. That's all. Squeezy, squeezy hugs... <3

lindsey hutchison @ United By Books said...

Deena *hugs back* thanks my lovely. and as you say Angels really do exist!

Kathleen Ann Gallagher's Place to Reflect said...

Lindsey, So sorry to here how you lost your sister. Thank you so much for sharing your stories here. It can be comforting when these strange occurences happen. Keeps our loved one's close.

Funny how the birthday baloon came at the right time.

Kathleen Ann Gallagher's Place to Reflect said...

Decadent Publishing, Wow! I'm glad they destroyed the devilish bed. I do like the landscaping ghost. Thanks for sharing your stories.

Kathleen Ann Gallagher's Place to Reflect said...

Hi Terri, My sister in-law used a Ouija board when I was a young girl. Loved it! Thanks so much for visiting my contest. I'm glad Ouija got it right. Post your email address for the drawing.

Kathleen Ann Gallagher's Place to Reflect said...

Deena, I watched a show the other night where a family hired a paranormal team to check their home. Strange happenings left them no other option. They all sat on the bed and felt a thumb. I fell asleep before I could see what happened next. Thanks so much. It's always great to here from you.

Kathleen Ann Gallagher's Place to Reflect said...

Don't forget to leave your email addresses to be entered to win the cameo. It's open to everyone!

Terri Osburn said...

Actually, that husband was tossed several years ago now. LOL! So though Ouija was right, *he* wasn't right. :)

djtlo@yahoo.com

Thanks again!

Kathleen Ann Gallagher's Place to Reflect said...

OOPS Terri!

I love all of the stories. Keep them coming!

Seleste deLaney/Julie Particka said...

I have both a funny one and a kind of melancholy one. I'll start with the latter.

There are six kids in my family and, as the youngest, I was stuck sharing a room with *someone* until my brother joined the army. At that point, a "room" opened up. I put it in parenthesis because it wasn't really a room. When we moved into our house it had a 2-story foyer with a chandelier. With six kids, my parents decided, they needed another room upstairs more than a chandelier, so they put in a floor and walls and built the "room" off the southeastern-most bedroom. It was big enough for a twin size bed and room to walk around it. No closet. No dresser. Just a bed and a modicum of privacy.

It was great...until the girl who'd always had someone sleeping in the room with her had to sleep solo. I spent many a terrified night in there.

Then one day, a presence was in the room with me. I was scared to death, but somehow I could feel that it was my grandmother (who had died while also living with us in that house). Grandma lived with us for a couple years while she battled cancer and I'd become really close with her. I sat in my "room" talking to a ghost for an hour or two (when I was supposed to be cleaning). From that point on, I was never afraid to sleep in there anymore.

Real or not, I don't know, but it helped me get over a major childhood fear...until the next sibling moved out and I got to/had to switch rooms so my parents could turn the "room" into storage.

Kathleen Ann Gallagher's Place to Reflect said...

Maybe your Grandma knew her job was done and you could handle being alone. I loved your story, Seleste. Thanks so much for sharing it.

Unknown said...

I've got a real life ghost story for you that happened to me. A little background. I was living in a military house,3 lvls basement, main lvl and upstairs, about 100 years old. There was just myself, bf and daughter (9 month old).
One evening after going to bed I was tossing and turning and just couldn't get to sleep, my bf had been asleep for awhile. It was about 2am when I heard a noise on the second floor of the house. I was sure someone was in the house. I woke up my bf telling him someone was in the house. He got up and crept downstairs. I held the telephone in my hand ready to call the Military Police. If felt like forever before he called up to me that no one was there. He came back to bed saying it must have been the house creaking. Exasperated I told him I knew what it sounded like and it wasn't the house. He shrugged his shoulders and laid down and was asleep in seconds. I sat there fuming that he was able to fall asleep so easily.
about 5 or so min. after I heard something again but in a different room on the second floor. Once again I woke up my bf and told him to get his butt downstairs I heard someone in the dining room. We argued a bit and finally he went to look. He checked the whole house. From Basement to the bathroom on the 3rd floor and nothing. All clear. My BF was not happy with me telling me to stop hearing things so he could sleep. We both laid down and were just finally starting to relax when the phone rang. Wow did we jump. My BF answered it. He said a few No's and ok's and then told the person just a minute and turned to me. He was as white as a ghost. I asked what's wrong... he said " Your mom's on the phone, she wants to know if we're ok. We woke her up by calling" "but we never called" I said. "But, her caller ID said we called her 10 min. ago" I swear I almost pee'd the bed.... I have other stories about this house. I hated living there.

Kathleen Ann Gallagher's Place to Reflect said...

What a great ghost story, Leanne! Thanks so much for sharing it. Older homes seem to have the strangest happenings.

Book Lovers 4Ever said...

I have a story and I def. believe in ghost. I was 13 years old when my step-father died at home of a heart attack- he was a young man only 36 years old. He was a huge sports fan and I can remember on Sundays he would have both televisions in the house turned on to different games and he would go up and down the hall all day watching both tv sets. About a month after he died I was in my room with the door open and as clear as day I sat and watched my Dad go back and forth up & down the hall. Even though I was very sad about the loss I knew right then in my heart that he was happy and he was still doing what he loved to do. I miss him daily even after 28 years

Kathleen Ann Gallagher's Place to Reflect said...

Thank you so much Wendy for sharing this beautiful story. I think it's wonderful that your step-father let me know that he was okay. He will always be in your heart.

Kathleen Ann Gallagher's Place to Reflect said...

Here's a really cool story from Diane Sismour.

In 1981 my dh and I bought our 1st home together. The oldest deed we found showed it built in 1891. A hand pump in front, an outhouse in back and barely any electic. M...y mother in-law cried when she first saw our new home and they weren't happy tears. I pictures this adorable home with character. I just didn't know the character was a ghost. The previous owner had died in the house, a 74 year old spinster. Granted it's an old house, but doors don't close on there own and cold chills don't suddenly appear in a room with a coal stove glowing red. It's over 31 years since we purchased the property. Home improvements were made and our starter home evolved with us. Helen must have a hotline to our kitchen. Everytime we speak of a home improvement we feel her debating with us. I can't wait to find out how she likes us tearing the old slate off the roof later this year.

Kathleen Ann Gallagher's Place to Reflect said...

Thanks for sharing your story, Diane. Love it! Sometimes the older homes come with borders!

Sandy Sullivan said...

I have several ghost stories. I'm a registered nurse and I've heard voices in various hospital's where I worked. Nothing like a disembodied voice to send chills down your arms.

My one experience with actually seeing a ghost came with a home my husband and I owned in Washington State. Early one morning, he came into our room because he left his coffee cup next to our computer. He'd turned the hall light on so he could see. As he passed by the end of our I looked up and saw a 16ish year old boy wearing an orange and white football jersey with shoulder length blond hair. I have one step-son, but he's dark haired and used to wear his hair short.

I didn't say anything to my husband, just rolled over and went back to sleep. Our kids told us several times how their stereo's or televisions would go off or on without the remote being anywhere close to them. We also smelled fresh cigarette smoke in our bedroom several times and no one in our house smoked.

~ Sandy
sandysullivan@romancestorytime.com

Nancy said...

I am not positive if I had a ghostly experience, or if it was some sort of other spirit. But it was in my first house on Main Street in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The house was built in 1940s. I have no idea what happened at the property prior to that, and I don't know if anyone died in the house or not. When I was first moving in to the house my middle sister was in one bedroom, cleaning and unpacking boxes and I was outside in the back yard. My sister was alone in the one bedroom and heard clear as day, someone say, "Who are you?" right behind her. She said she turned around and no one was there. She yelled out the window and asked me if one of the neighbors was over inquiring about who we were, but there was no one. I never heard a voice. However, throughout the years of living there I would frequently wake up in the morning to the smell of breakfast cooking. I'd check the house and check outside and nowhere else would you smell it, except inside the house. This happened when I lived alone and when my sister and brother-in-law lived there. My sister would wake to the same smell of breakfast cooking, check outside and with me and her husband, and none of us had cooked and the smell was not outside at all so it wasn't coming from a neighbor's house. It was always clearly centered right inside the house. It was a great way to wake up, but it always made me hungry! Smelled like eggs, bacon, and toast cooking every time.
Nancy E
everitnm at hotmail dot com

Anonymous said...

I'm new to your blog Kathleen. I found you through a mutual friend, Diane Sismour. I love ghost stories! Leanne109's story gave me the chills! I'm a writer and currently shopping a mainstream ghost story to agents. (shameless plug) but I wanted to contribute my own brush with the spirit world, albeit a minor one.

It happened shortly after my grandfather died. I was lying on my side in our bedroom facing my husband. I remember dreaming about sitting in the basement of my grandparents house. We used to sit around a big table every Sunday and well, eat. :-) Sometime during the night, I felt as if someone was standing in the room with their hand on my shoulder. I woke up with a start. My husband was facing the other way, but the hand was still on my shoulder. I turned to look who was there and there was no one. I liked to think my grandfather was remembering our Sunday's together,too. It was comforting and creepy at the same time! lol

Kathleen Ann Gallagher's Place to Reflect said...

Sandy: I'm a registered nurse, too. I once stood next to a dying woman and sensed something coming through the window, the next minute she was gone. It was surreal.

Thanks so much for sharing your stories here.

Kathy Kulig said...

Hi Kathleen, I love Cape May. I'm a LSFW member too. And Echoes at Dawn sounds like a great book. I do have a ghost story. When I lived in my house in Florida. A couple months after I moved in. I lived alone. I woke up in th middle of the night to the sound of heavy footstep coming down my hallway toward my bedroom. They sounded like men's boots, that loud. At first, I thought I had a burglar and sat straight up in bed terrified. The next moment, I saw a gray figure drift into my bedroom and stop at the end of my bed. He was like a black and white photograph. A gray man. He was an older gentlemen wearing overalls. I blinked thinking I was dreaming, making sure I was awake, but he was still there looking at me. I tried screaming but couldn't get enough air in my lungs. Finally, I did scream and he disappeared. All the doors and windows were locked. Other nights I'd wake up feeling someone stroking my hair or sitting on the edge of my bed. I could see the indentation. I didn't think he meant me any harm but it was scaring the heck out of me at night. I told a friend who was using my garage to do some work about my ghost and he didn't have much to say. I never told him what the ghost looked like. My friend was in the garage one night and came running into to the house, panicked. "I think I saw your ghost. Is he a gray man?" Then I knew I was seeing him for real.
I met with a psychic friend after that and I didn't describe what he looked like either. She told me the man hadn't lived in the house. He was the carpenter and died before the house was finished. He's coming back to finish his job and sees me as a niece to protect. That would explain the overalls and heavy boots. She told me to tell him to please leave and that I should burn a white candle. The house became quiet after. I lived there for 10 years.
Kathy www.kathykulig.com

Kathleen Ann Gallagher's Place to Reflect said...

Nancy: It sounds like your house had a previous dweller who liked to cook. Cool story! Thank you for posting it here. Good Luck!

Kathleen Ann Gallagher's Place to Reflect said...

Karen: All the best with finding an agent for your ghost story. I love ghost stories, too. I especially like to feel the peaceful acceptance when someone we love passes, and we get a sign to let us know they are nearby.

I'm happy you shared your story!

Kathleen Ann Gallagher's Place to Reflect said...

Kathy; How cool is that? I'd love to meet you next conference. Thanks for the kind words about Echoes at Dawn. I'm loving the ghost stories. They're all so different. You must have been frightend at first. I'm glad you got to the bottom of it, and the carpenter found his way home.

Kathleen Ann Gallagher's Place to Reflect said...

I''m sorry if some of you can't comment. You have to download upgrade for google.

Kathleen Ann Gallagher's Place to Reflect said...

Hi Kathleen! In the house I grew up in, and my dad still lives in, I used to sense a few ghosts. The house is in WI, which I've heard has the most ghost sightings per square mile of anywhere in the USA. My bedroom was on the 2nd floor and at night I would hear the floor outside my room creak and I felt as if someone was watching me. It wouldn't have been my parents since the stairs were loud enough that I would have heard them come up. It always creeped me out, but I felt if I pretended to sleep that "he" wouldn't hurt me. That house also has an old bar downstairs in one of the rooms, and everytime I went downstairs I felt someone watching me from behind the bar. I HATED going down there. I still do.

When I lived in New Mexico, I also belonged to SGHA, Southwest Ghost Hunters Association. It was a lot of fun. I didn't "see" any ghosts on the investigations I went on, but others in the group would tell me about odd readings and pictures. One story was about when they investigated a abandoned prison in Santa Fe that was the site for a huge prison riot a few decades ago. It was extremely violent and many people died. At one investigation SGHA did there, one of the cell doors slammed shut next to the group. What's odd about that is that the doors are electric and there was no electricity on at the prison!! Wish I would have been there!!

-Colleen
colleenbeilke@gmail.com

Kathleen Ann Gallagher's Place to Reflect said...

Thanks for sharing your stories, Colleen! I didn't know WI had the most ghost sightings. How interesting...and a ghost hunters association sounds like fun!

Kelly said...

Hello Kathleen! I have a midwestern story for you. Back in the 1940's and 50's before the military base was in our town, the railways were being built. They built these little houses for the men and their families. They were all in rows, cookie cutter style.

I moved into one of these houses in 2003. The first week we were there I felt something every time I went into the basement. Not malevolent, but sad and disturbing. Always more towards underneath the basement stairs. My daughters would go nowhere near the basement.

The dreams started by the third week. A little girl, brown hair in a ragged pony tail, torn dress, bare feet. Crying. Always asking, 'where's my mom?'. The dreams always woke me up, heart pounding. A month after we moved in, my oldest daughter, then 10, woke me crying in the middle of the night. She told me of a little girl standing in the hallway by her bedroom doorway. When asked how she got in, she told my daughter 'I can't ever leave. if i do, he'll get me forever.' And she disappeared in front of my daughter.

After that, the dreams got intense. She told me her name was Rebecca, and that her father killed her mother but no one believed her. She told me that he killed her too, in the living room of the house, to keep her from her mother.
She told me that her father hovered outside the house and waited for her to come outside. That is why she stayed.
With this information I contacted a priest, who gave me holy water and instructions since he couldn't get to my house to bless it. I did what I was told to do with the holy water and all hell broke loose.
The father started coming into my dreams...to the point that i didn't sleep at night..for 4 months. He told me that Rebecca was his...and that I couldn't stop him from taking her soul.
He told me that he could take mine too, while I slept. I felt his presence in the bathroom the strongest and couldn't bathe at night or alone.

Long story shortened, I talked to people who told me to tell Rebecca to go into the light. On Halloween night, at exactly midnight, I lit white candles in the basement and sat there with Rebecca. I told her to follow the light and she'd find here mom, and peace, and freedom from her father. By 1am, I could no longer feel her around. By 3am I could no longer feel her father around.

A week later, my step-dad brought me a few print outs about the history of our house. It turns out that the very first owners, a man, woman and little girl, lived there until tragedy struck. The father, in a drunken rage, murdered the wife and covered it up. The guilt consumed him, causing him to murder his daughter, and hang himself...in the bathroom.
The faces on the photos matched the ones in my dream...perfectly.
~Kelly
xkhensley06x@gmail.com

Kathleen Ann Gallagher's Place to Reflect said...

Wow! What an amazing story, Kelly! I'm glad you were able to assist the little girl in her quest to find peace. Thanks so much for sharing your story. Good Luck!!

Anonymous said...

Ever since I can remember I have had this feeling that I'm being followed.. It couln a vampyre for all I know.. But every time I move somewhere that feeling is always with me. I feel as if I have someone always there watching out for me and he will show himself when he is ready.. Call me a hopeless romantic, but it could be my vampyre lover and he is waiting for the right time to show himself to me.. Maybe in a few years or so.. Haha I know its not a ghost story, but its something..

hotcha12 said...

HI KATHLEEN AND GRACEN! OF COURSE I BELIEVE IN SPIRITS, I HAVE TWO LIVING WITH ME NOW. ECHOES SOUNDS DELIGHTFUL AND I HOPE TO READ IT SOON

Kathleen Ann Gallagher's Place to Reflect said...

To Secret Hopeless Romantic,

Thanks for sharing your story. It could be true!! I'm a hopeless romantic, too.

Kathleen Ann Gallagher's Place to Reflect said...

To hotcha12,

Thanks for visiting my contest. I hope you enjoy Echoes at Dawn.

Kathleen