Catching Ghosts

This one is to be read at night with only the light from a smartphone or small computer screen while safely in bed and under covers…

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The home was reportedly haunted by a 3-foot tall, foul-smelling ghost. No family stayed in the house very long and there were reports that some people had been driven insane by what they saw. The lone ghost could be heard walking up the basement stairs each night and move through the rooms leaving a strong odor in its wake. Those who saw it said it was the lower half of a woman.

A ghost hunter, what today we would call a paranormal investigator, decided to get to the truth and made arrangements to spend a night in the home.

On the night of his visit he set out his tape recorder, his cameras, and waited….

He began hearing the sounds of the stairs and made an entry in his notebook to record the date, the time, and his observations. The ghost entered into the kitchen and took no notice of its observer. It did look like the bottom half of a woman wearing long skirts.

He followed the ghost as it moved through the house and, indeed, it did give off a terrible smell. After a few minutes, the ghost returned to the kitchen and descended into the basement.

Our researcher continued recording observations in his notebook.

As silence returned to the house, the hunter followed.

Walking carefully, he crept down the rickety stairs aided by an old flashlight.

There was nothing to see at first. The earthen floor was dirty and the essence of the ghost hung in the air. The only movement was from specks of dust reflecting from his light.

The hunter did not call out. Beginning to take his first steps away from the stairs, he stopped to make note of a pile of small animal bones. The corners of the basement contained nothing. When he observed the smell becoming stronger, he moved into it.

Behind the furnace he found a hole in the floor and something like rags in it. Before probing the hole, he took a picture using an infrared flash and film. Then while reaching into the hole, the ghost took form and grabbed at him!

They wrestled until he was able to pin it to the floor.

When things settled and the ghost became still, he walked back to the stairs and turned on the basement lights. To his us astonishment he found he was looking at a small woman.

Subsequent investigation revealed that she had been born with reduced mental capacity, at some point been buried in the basement by her family, and left for dead. She did not die, but clawed her way from the grave. Her growth had been stunted as a result of the years she spent living in the hidden grave.

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 Personal Note:

I heard this one night in a Navy barracks. I can’t remember a time where I doubted there was more to life than what we see with our five senses.

On hearing and discussing the story with my friends , I became determined to own the dispassionate courage shown by the ghost hunter and the will to stare into the unknown.

– Jeffrey A. Limpert

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References:

Image Information:

Ghost Stories

By Marxchivist (Tom)

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Haunted House

By Sean MacEntee