image from stock.xchng

Someone asked me the other day, “So you like to hunt ghosts. Have you ever had any experiences?”

“Yes.”

“Really? What kind of equipment did you use? Did you capture it at all?”

“I’m not that kind of ghost hunter. I’m what I refer to as a Haunt Jaunter.”

“A Haunt Whater?”

I went on to try and explain the difference, but I could see they didn’t get it. (This particular person wasn’t really into ghosts. I think they mostly just asked me about it to be polite because they’d seen the signature line in my emails and some notes about it on my personal Facebook page.)

However, it gave me a good blog idea. Because it’s not the first time I’ve run into this sort of question.

I decided to make a list of both the differences and similarities between ghost hunters and Haunt Jaunters. Here’s what I came up with:

1. Both ghost hunters and Haunt Jaunters like to seek out and explore haunted places.
2. Ghost hunters conduct formal investigations of haunted places. They hope to find evidence. Haunt Jaunters do not. They simply like to take in the atmosphere, be that spending the night there, eating there, checking out the history, etc.
3. Both ghost hunters and Haunt Jaunters hope to have paranormal experiences, though, and purposely seek them out by traveling to and visiting haunted places.
4. Both use equipment, but it may be for different purposes. This sort of goes back to #2. Ghost hunters are more apt to use fancy gadgets like EMF detectors, K2 meters, cameras and video cameras with night vision, thermal imagers, motion detectors, etc. in order to document evidence. Haunt Jaunters often have digital cameras, maybe even a video camera or voice recorder, and they may use some of their fancier gadgets out of curiosity, but they’re not really trying to capture evidence. Mostly they’d be trying to enhance their experiences.
5. Ghost hunters often, but not always, belong to paranormal investigation groups. Haunt Jaunters either haunt hunt alone, or, like me, con their loved ones into turning family getaways into excuses to stay in haunted hotels, eat at eerie eateries, or visit historic sites with haunted histories.
6. It’s not uncommon for both ghost hunters and Haunt Jaunters to enjoy researching haunted places and to have lists of places they’d like to visit.
7. Both ghost hunters and Haunt Jaunters like ghost tours, but ghosts hunters would be more likely to be a ghost tour guide whereas Haunt Jaunters would be more likely to just be a ghost tour goer. (Not always. Plenty of regular ol’ non-ghost hunting ghost enthusiasts run ghost tours.)
8. Both ghost hunters and Haunt Jaunters enjoy paranormal conferences.
9. Haunt Jaunters may not put the latest investigation techniques into practice, but like ghost hunters they enjoy watching TV shows about ghosts, ghost stories, and/or ghost hunting.
10. Halloween is likely to be named the favorite holiday of both ghost hunters and Haunter Jaunters.

Based on the above, which would you classify yourself as: a ghost hunter or a Haunt Jaunter?

Products of Interest:

The Travel Book: A Journey Through Every Country in the World

PSIence: How New Discoveries in Quantum Physics and New Science May Explain the Existence of Paranormal Phenomena

Seeking Spirits: The Lost Cases of The Atlantic Paranormal Society

Anyway, that doesn’t matter. What does matter is something neat they’re putting together for the upcoming Halloween season: a conference! It’ll take place on October 23, 2010 in Newport, KY at the Gangsters Dueling Piano Bar.

But it’s not just any conference. It’s one that appeals to Haunt Jaunters like myself.

I pulled the details from their AHRT Conference page and pasted them below since Kara, the AHRT Conference coordinator, summed it all up so perfectly!

There will be a wide variety of haunted tours to join in on, including the renowned Newport Ghost Tours and Miamitown Ghost Tours, tours to Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati Art Museum, and much more. America’s Haunted Road Trip series editor, John Kachuba, will be speaking, as well as the author of Ghosthunting Kentucky and founder of Scarefest, Patti Starr. We have many other speakers, vendors, and other spiritual and paranormal experts in the works. The night before the event, we will be holding a special meet & greet (open to the public) with several author book signings, as well as a tour and investigation of our offices in the heart of Historic Covington, Kentucky.

We are hoping to set ourselves apart from some of the other paranormal conventions in that we are basing our event around the many haunted tours we will be offering.

FYI

They’re working on a separate website they hope to have up soon. Until that gets in place they suggest keeping an eye on their Facebook Fan page for updates.

Also, if you’re a vendor with paranormal wares to pedal, they’re accepting requests now.

JOIN AMERICA’S HAUNTED ROAD TRIP

If you’re not a AHRT member but would like to be, joining is easy. Just head to http://www.americashauntedroadtrip.com/ and sign up. It’s FREE!

Products of Interest:

LeSportsac Deluxe Travel Mate Cosmetic Case,Twizzle,one size

Unexplained - Hauntings (A&E DVD Archives)

ITW Space Compressible Bag BRS-9212ZG Vacuum-Seal Travel Roll Bags, Set of 4

ghostly driver; image from stock.xchng

Spring Fever hits in more ways than one. As the weather warms up, people come out of hibernation and get more active. Not sure if the same goes for ghosts, but it sure seems to apply to ghost tours and ghost hunting excursions.

Lately I’ve noticed more and more of them “spring”ing up everywhere. Here’s a list of some of the more interesting ones I’ve come across:

1. Ghost Hunts and Ghost Walks at the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio. The Ohio State Reformatory Ghost Hunts® were named one of the Travel Channel’s “101 Things to do before you Die.” They are ENORMOUSLY popular. So much so, most of their Hunts for 2010 have already sold out…and they haven’t even started yet! (This Saturday, March 13, 2010, is the first one.) In fact, there’s only four dates that still have availability: September 3, November 12, November 20, and December 11. Your other option might be the Ghost Walks. They don’t start until May (May 23 to be exact), and there are only eight of them –but three dates are already sold out too! Cost: The Ghost Hunts run $65 per person. (Includes pizza dinner, soda, water, coffee and hot chocolate, and access to the building from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.) Must be 21 years of age or older. The Ghost Walk is $15 adults, $8 children (ages 12-17). For more info check out www.mansfieldtourism.com or www.mrps.org.  TIP: Many of the area hotels offer Ghost Hunt Recovery packages with perks like Jacuzzi tubs, late check out, and breakfast.
2. Ghost Hunt at Big Bone Lick State Park. On March 20, 2010 at 8 p.m. the Tri-State Shadow Chasers, will lead a ghost hunt through several areas of the park, such as the 1888 Big Bone Methodist church (which has been recently renovated), Nature Center, Visitor’s Center, the old office building, and several outdoor locations. It lasts until 3 a.m. The Tri-State Shadow Chasers will review the evidence and if they find anything they’ll set a time for people to come review the evidence. TIP: Big Bone Lick State Park is near Burlington, Kentucky, which isn’t too far from Wilder, Kentucky, home of the infamous Bob Mackey’s Music World. You could make a weekend of it: tap your toes to tunes on Friday night at Bob Mackey’s, the do Big Bone Lick the next night.
3. Beyond Ghosts Paranormal 101 at the Van Horn Mansion. On March 19, 2010 from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m.they’ll discuss investigation techniques and then let you put them into practice. It’s also a charity event to benefit the Newfane Historical Society. Cost: $50.
4. Beyond Ghosts at the Kelly Hotel. This event takes place on March 25, 2010 starting at 7 p.m., and includes paranormal lectures, a ghost hunt, evidence reveal, and a prime rib buffet with all the fixings. (Food…my kind of event!) Cost: $50.
5. The Amazing Cemetery Crawl 5. My bud Autumnforest from Ghost Hunting Theories shared this one with me. Debe Branning of MVD Ghostchasers, who’s also the Arizona Haunted Sites Examiner, has put on this event the last few years. Autumnforest has both participated in and helped with it and says it’s an absolute hoot. It sounds like a blast. Debe summed it up best in one of her articles: “The Amazing Cemetery Crawl, an annual event hosted by the MVD Ghostchasers, takes ghost hunters on a road trip through Arizona following rhyming clues, stopping at cemeteries, historic detours, and many tasks and duties to earn their way to winning prizes. Along the way, contestants learn about haunted sites, backroad cemeteries, famous gravesites, and enjoy an evening in a haunted location. This exhausting 36 hour road rally is unlike anything else in Arizona.” This year the fun takes place on April 10, 2010. Contact Debe Branning for more info: nazanaza@aol.com.

ACROSS THE POND

Right before I was fixing to hit “post” I saw this next event is actually sold out, but I decided to still include it. Sounded interesting.

• Haunted Night at Hull Maritime Museum. The museum houses whaling artifacts, including whale bones, which may or may not have anything to do with the weird occurrences noted by much of the staff. On May 15, 2010 the museum will allow visitors to spend the night (part of it at least, from 10:30 p.m. – 2 a.m.) exploring the mysteries that might lurk in this 140-year-old building. The event is put on by Most Haunted Nites and will benefit Kidney Research UK.

FOLLOW/FAN THEM

For the companies, groups, and and people mentioned above that had Twitter accounts or Facebook pages, I’ve noted them below in case you want to Follow or Fan them.

• Tri-State Shadow Chasers on MySpace and YouTube
• Bobby Mackey on MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube
• Beyond Ghosts on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and YouTube
• Debe Branning on MySpace and Twitter
• Mosthaunted Nites on Facebook

Products of Interest:

Mansfield Park (BBC, 1986)

Misleader

Funky Fanfare

But come on. It seems like that’s all that’s coming out anymore. The Hills Have Eyes, Last House on the Left, Prom Night, Halloween, Friday the 13th, and now Nightmare on Elm Street’s about due for release. All have been recent remakes of “classic” ’70s and ’80s horror flicks. (I put it in parenthesis because I know some will disagree about their classicness. But the remakes? Eeek. The remakes of Prom Night and Friday the 13th in particular were awful. They certainly didn’t do them justice. And if you’re going to remake a movie shouldn’t you strive to make it at least equal, if not better than, the original?)

Then just the other day I read an article about someone planning to resurrect Pet Sematary. That one wasn’t good the first time around. In fact, it was so bad they instantly did a remake (under the guise of a sequel as Pet Sematary II in 1992). Another bomb. Both should’ve been left buried!

Maybe they’re thinking third time will be the charm? (Psst, yo, Hollywood. I’ll tell you the real charm: Find a storyline that’s new and fresh. In fact, I got one for you. It’s called Phasma Ex Machina. Already filmed and ready to go. Get it up on the big screen, why don’t ya?)

Oh, and speaking of sequels, if you’re into them here’s what’s being worked on that you have to look forward to if you didn’t already know:

• Word on the street from Shadowlocked is that there’s an Alien sequel in the works. Coming to a theater near you in 3D, naturally.
• Paramount’s got a short list of directors lined up for Paranormal Activity 2. (Why the original director isn’t good enough, I don’t know. Guess Hollywood thinks they can do it better. Wonder if that’ll be as much of a disaster as the Blair Witch sequel was?)
• Work on (and spoilers about) Ghostbusters 3 are already flying. Will Bill Murray come back as a ghost or a Buster? (I vote work him in as a ghost. He was killed off in Zombieland after all…)

However, for all the remakes and sequels flooding theaters, I did run across mention of one with supernatural promise. Shock Till You Drop reported that Tom Felton (perhaps better known as Draco Malfoy of Harry Potter fame) signed to The Apparition. What little info there is on it sounds like it could’ve borrowed a bit from Flatliners. But that’s just me speculating. I’m hoping it’s something original and fresh.

Products of Interest:

Mythical Creatures Flash Cards

Ghostbusters Logo Symbol Brushed Logo T-Shirt (Extra Large)

Coal House Fort Night 2

What does being a psychic look like?

Most people imagine a psychic to be an old lady with a crystal ball (divination using crystal ball is called scrying by the way) sitting in a dark room with the only light coming from candles. Some add Tarot cards to this picture. Well, it’s not very true. Fortune-tellers aren’t psychic in most cases, they just want to earn dollars – as we all .

Being a psychic means you can sense more than others. Not every psychic is hearing voices, most just sense so called psychic energies (this is the thing TV psychis have in mind when saying ‘I sense spirit here‘), like just knowing there’s something here. Seeing things isn’t really about using your eyes to see (but that thing happens too), but rather seeing with your mind, it’s like visualization, but it’s not conscious, hearing voices isn’t really about hearing real sounds, but about hearing things just like you hear your voice when talking to yourself inside your mind – all of that psychic impressions comes ‘from the above’ – whatever above means.

Which leads us further – psychics do not participate in any organized religious movement. There’s nothing religious about being a psychic. Spiritual yes, but not religious. Spirituality is something every religion have in common, it’s about being a seeker of greater things in your life. Most people think that psychics believe in some deities, ancient gods or weird New Age stuff. The true is that psychics believe in what they believe . Personally, I’m a Taoist practising Tai Chi Chuan – it has nothing to do with New Age, and when it comes to believing in God, then I believe in one and only God – the one Christians and Jude believes. But it doesn’t stop me from being fascinated by Norse Mythology. That’s another story, the summary is simple – if you’re a psychic, you believe in what you want to believe, no one will force you to believe in New Age.

Anyway, every psychic is different – some are advanced and can really see and hear things, others just sense things, others know things. The range of development vary, if I say I’m a psychic it doesn’t mean I see dead people (um, OK it happens) and talk to them (umm…). I found a great pleasure in just sensing things and giving psychic readings. Why does that range vary? Because some psychics develops, and some don’t…  because everyone is a psychic.

Psychic is not born, psychic develops

Being a psychic means you tune into psychic energies that flows around you. You already have the skills, you just don’t know about it. I know what I’m talking about, I wasn’t “like this” all my life, it started when I was 16 years old. And now I teach psychic development on my blog. I teach it based on the process I developed my current level of abilities so I know how to teach it . And I know everyone can develop psychic abilities, it’s all about knowing what to look for. It’s like being a radio tower – radio waves flows around you, but you can’t pick them up only because you’re tuned into wrong frequency – tune into correct one, and you will find out you can tune yourself into psychic energies – which carry information of different kind, learning how to pick up specific information is another thing (I also talk about it on my blog).

One more reason for knowing everyone can develop psychic abilities. Being a psychic is about having developed energy system which can manipulate the psychic energy (energy system is the thing that is build of Chakras, meridians, energy storages and energy centres – details in my article about New Energy Ways). And since everyone do have the energy system, the only thing left to do is to develop it to a level when you can consciously use it .

Frequently Asked Questions

People ask me different questions (turns out they’re really interested in things I do), here are some of them

• Can you see dead people?
  It happened few times but most of the time, I can only sense spirits and entities, which is pretty cool in my opinion, I can scare people by saying ‘I sense a presence here…’ .
• Can you see aura?
  I saw aura of plants once or twice, that’s all. It’s not a skill I’m eager to develop anytime soon.
• Can you give me a psychic reading?
  Yes – but currently you have to travel to my city and then we can met. I don’t have an online system for giving psychic readings yet.
• Can you predict the future?
  Nope, and honestly, I don’t want to predict the future.
• How much do you take for your services?
  Nothing – at least nothing when I’m giving psychic readings for friends. If I will ever start giving readings for other people, I will take money for that – how much, I don’t know, surely it won’t be $200 per hour as some psychics do (in my opinion they freaked out with their prices).
• Is this stuff real?
  Yep, tons of research all over the world, keep reading my blog and there will be an article about proving psychic phenomena.

Psychic in Poland

It’s a travel blog, so I can’t forget about mentioning this. Here in Poland psychics are connected only to that crystal ball and Tarot cards. The way people perceive psychics in United States is very different that what I experience here in Poland. They think we see the future, read cards and take huge moneys for giving a reading. They consider no things like sensing energies, spiritual growth, or working with spirits (trying to help them pass to the other side, useful element in my paranormal investigations).

And in most cases, we aren’t taken seriously mainly because most psychics here are frauds who take huge moneys for lying to people (easy money…) which is sad. But fortunately sometimes I met people who think it’s quite fascinating to be a psychic and they glad they know me. Well, I don’t know . Anyway, I know people who wants to listen about real psychic life, who enjoy my psychic readings, and consider my skills useful. So as always, there are two sides of that coin.

See, being a psychic isn’t that weird (I can’t believe I said that)… Do you have any questions regarding being a psychic or psychic development? Don’t hesitate to ask, I’ll be happy to answer.

Products of Interest:

Psychic Development for Beginners: An Easy Guide to Developing & Releasing Your Psychic Abilities (For Beginners (Llewellyn's))

Unsolved Mysteries: Psychics

Psychic Kids: Children of the Paranormal DVD Set

I finally got caught up on my blog reading and found a great one he’d posted a couple of weeks ago: “Tiny Insect Scares Predators Away By Impersonating Deadly Crocodile.”

Because it’s short, I’m just going to post it in its entirety here.

Animal mimicry is a biological phenomenon in which one animal takes on a form similar to another, biologically dissimilar creature. The mimicry is usually performed by a smaller, weaker animal in the hope of scaring away a predator.

One brave “bogey,” as such mimics are called, takes the charade to a gutsy extreme. The nervy imitator is an insect of the genus Fulgora. This tiny bug has an appendage on the front of its head that resembles the snout of the South American crocodile, or caiman. Scientists have found that birds and monkeys that would otherwise devour the bug are scared off by its fearsome appearance.

Posted By Doc Paranormal

On Monday I posted a link to it on the HJ Facebook Fan Page with the question: If you could scare predators away by impersonating something else, what would you mimic?

I’ve been thinking about it all week. I’d like to have the ability to adapt my mimicry to the situation.

For instance, I’m short (or “Fun Size” as I like to say). When I’m playing volleyball I’d like to have the ability to intimidate opponents at the net by becoming something like one of the dinos in Jurassic Park. I don’t know it’s name, but specifically that small one that looked pretty harmless, but then all of a sudden this cone sprung out and encircled its neck, making it appear much larger and more fierce.

That’d be pretty cool. Like to see how brave someone would be spiking against something like that!

And if some predator was after me just in general, then I’d like to be able to “read its fears” so to speak and become whatever it’s most scared of so it’d turn tail and leave me alone!

Okay, enough about me. What would you pick to mimic?

Products of Interest:

Paranormal Realities

HOBO INTERNATIONAL Sirena Florence Leather Mini Travel Bag,Magenta,one size

The Other Side: A Teen's Guide to Ghost Hunting and the Paranormal

I’ve done it by accident.

I’d just finished with my 4 month business incubator and had a brand spanking new biz plan in my lap.  It was heavy, so I did what I always do when facing a life transition.  Road trip.  I packed an overnight bag, just in case, and headed north.

My first stop was a labyrinth in West Bend.  I’m a fan and had been looking for a new one to check out so it seemed as good a place as any.  If you like your labyrinth overlaid with English country cottage charm next to a busy street, then this one will do it for you.  Me, not so much.  But hey, at least I made it there and walked it.  It’s all part of the road trip experience.  The endless possibilities of ‘where next’ lay before me. Which meant one thing.  Lunch. A grilled ham and cheese sandwich later and I’m looking toward the road again.

The wonders of traveling with a GPS means that you’re never without a nearby antique mall.  One mall leads to another, kind of like M&M’s or BBQ potato chips, and I’m far enough northwest to wonder, “Do I turn around and head home or commit to an overnight somewhere?  Hey, I’ve never been to Fond du Lac.  That’s on Lake Winnebago.  I’ve always wanted to see Lake Winnebago.”

That’s how I ended up in Fond du Lac’s haunted hotel.  It’s just the sort of place I’d pick, too.  Not because it’s haunted, but because it’s a very old building in the old downtown, and it’s reasonably priced to boot.  It’s got a bar and a restaurant on site.  It’s on the National Register of Historic Places.  I’ve struck gold!

Now it’s a Ramada, but it used to be called the Hotel Retlaw.  When I checked in, alarm bells went off in my head.  Where had I heard about this place before?  Why is this so familiar?  Why does the place feel peculiar?  Well, duh Susan!  It’s on just about every haunted places index I’ve ever read.  It wasn’t until I was in my room that it dawned on me.  A cell call to my husband, who did a quick search on the interwebs, confirmed my suspicions.  I’d checked into a haunted hotel.

I might have wondered about ghosts even if I’d not had my suspicions googled.  The hallways were creepy and a bit disorienting.  In my room, it felt like something was at either door — the one from the hall and the one from the bathroom.  I did a lot of whistling a happy tune, which is what I do when I’m para-nervous.  “Oh, la, la, la, it’s all my imagination, la, la.”  At about 12:30 that night, I forced myself to turn off the light and try to get some sleep.  Try being the operative word.

Fond du Lac and environs has some stellar hauntings, so I’m sure there will eventually be a Haunt Spots tour of the area.  I’ll save the full story of the Retlaw Hotel for then.

So, the question remains.  Would you stay at a hotel simply because you knew it was haunted?  I might, if I weren’t alone and if I had the nerve to explore more.

You?

Happy Haunts,

Susan Scot Fry

Caper Company Tours

www.CaperCompany.com

Products of Interest:

Driftless Spirits: Ghosts of Southwest Wisconsin

Wisconsin Death Trip

Cookwell & Co. Two Step Veracruz Mix, 24-Ounce (Pack of 3)

Coming from a family that delights in mysteries, cemeteries, and a good ghost story, the appeal of the “haunted” plantation could not be underestimated.  As we pulled into the sun-dappled driveway, the home – nestled in a cool, sheltered yard of moss-draped oaks and spindly crepe myrtles – did not look anything like the plantation homes we’d seen earlier that day or even ever before.  Instead of being enormous and multi-columned with the obligatory white stone façade, The Myrtles was a long and low ranch-style home with a white clapboard façade surrounded by a 120+ foot veranda with a pale green wrought-iron railing done in dripping grapes.  It looked beautiful and mysterious and gloomy and haunting all at once.

Upon entering we were greeted by the lone staff member on duty who informed us, much to our dismay, that ghost tours (called Mystery Tours) were only given on Friday and Saturday evenings; we had arrived midday in the middle of the week when the usual History Tours are done.  Hester Eby – who still works at The Myrtles – realized about 10 minutes into her tour that we were a bit bored.   She offered then, since we were the only visitors, to give us our own, special ghost tour.  We were delighted, naturally.

Throughout the years, I visited The Myrtles dozens of other times – with family, on class trips, and on one memorable Friday evening with my best friend, Brandon, and a few other close classmates as the end part of our senior skip day in 1995.  Brandon and I shared a love of old homes and never could resist a good mystery surrounding one.  We spent our high school summers chasing ghosts along the Mississippi River Road – mostly in search of the long-dead and nearly forgotten Belle Grove Plantation.  Next to Belle Grove, our favorite antebellum home was, without a doubt, The Myrtles.  Therefore, it made perfect sense to wrap up our senior skip day by going on the after-dark “mystery tour”; regardless that we had both been numerous times before.

It also made perfect sense, then, that – years later – I gifted Brandon with an overnight stay at The Myrtles to commemorate his graduation from Louisiana State University.  As many times as we had visited, we had yet to fulfill our dream of spending the night at what was known as one of America’s most haunted houses.  And so, in May 2001, I booked us for a one night sojourn in the Ruffin-Stirling Room at The Myrtles Plantation.

We could hardly wait for the day to arrive.  Part of our package included an evening “mystery tour” which we decided to take yet again just to refresh our memories in case we should be so lucky as to receive any possible visitors that night.  My family, including my mother and sister who had been with me on that fateful first trip decades before, went on the ghost tour with us and then we all had a nice dinner at The Carriage House restaurant located on the grounds.  After the meal, we showed off our room – which, to be honest, had a very dreary and drab look and feel to it – to my mother and sister before they all left for home and left us alone with the other guests and spirits of The Myrtles.

We stayed down in the patio for a bit visiting with some of the other guests, making small talk with two local women around our own age.  We retired to our room with the long hours of the night still stretching out ahead of us.  Though we had expected to be on the edge of our seats with anticipation, we both – oddly – felt extremely exhausted as we sat in our room making small talk.  Neither of us sticklers for sleep, we often went to bed fairly late at night in our shared apartment.  Nonetheless, we both felt so sleepy that we could barely keep our eyes open.  Though it was only around 10pm, we figured a quick nap would rejuvenate us.  Still unable to believe we were actually tired at all, we lay down on the large, four-poster queen bed and almost immediately succumbed to the odd drowsiness.

My dreams were odd and heavy, and I woke suddenly from one with a keen feeling of loss.  As my eyes slowly opened and began to focus, I saw a figure – a woman in a long, old-fashioned dress – leaning over Brandon on the other side of the bed.  It was mere milliseconds as I came to, saw what I thought had to be the remnants of shaking off sleep, and the figure fading away.  I sat up in bed, looking around, reasoning with myself.  Had I just seen an apparition?  One of the infamous tales of The Myrtles is of a mysterious lady peeking into beds or tucking guests in; the ghost of either a long-dead slave or the grieving mother looking for her lost children.  Regardless, I knew I didn’t want to be alone and awake in the room, which had taken on an uneasy feeling, and I shook Brandon awake to tell him what I’d seen.

It was around 2:30am – we’d slept way past what we’d intended – and we decided to go downstairs and outside to do some exploring on the grounds.  The only light was from the streetlamp-like lanterns that dotted the brick courtyard out back, beyond that everything was cloaked in inky black.  Still, we braved the dark and walked around the small lake that boasts a teeny island and weathered gazebo.  Beyond that, just inside around some trees, we found an old wooden swing where we sat in contemplative silence.  As we trekked back towards the courtyard a bit later, Brandon – speaking in a low voice because it seemed somehow the right thing to do – asked me, “Do you feel it?”

I did.

The night hung close around us, and it was more than the humid warmth of a late Louisiana spring evening.  A hazy mist glowed softly around all of the lamplights, casting everything in a soft aura.  The highway that ran along the front of the plantation was silent, as if it weren’t there at all – it felt as if there weren’t any civilization at all beyond the winding drive and wooden gates that led here.

“It’s as if we’re in a different time and place,” Brandon commented as I nodded.  “Like someone turned the dial on a radio from FM to AM.”

Indeed, it felt as if we were on a different frequency than the “real” world.  It is a feeling I have felt once before, years later, when I witnessed a ghostly phenomenon at an old home in New Orleans French Quarter that a friend resided in.  I had stood there and watched as a door handle had turned – back and forth – right in front of me.  The moment, as it happened, had felt oddly detached – as if I were viewing something that was there yet not there; as if I’d tapped into another plane of existence, a different strand of time than the one I was physically standing in.

We decided to go back up to our room and upon entering, I noted the time on the clock.  It was just after 3:00am; which, as all true Haunt Jaunters will know is the true Witching Hour – when the veil between the two worlds is at its thinnest.

I sat in an old chair in a corner a few feet from the bed, which Brandon scrambled on top of.  We were sitting thus, talking in low voices, when we first heard it.  We froze.

I imagine that the look on my face mirrored the one I saw on Brandon’s as we stared at one another in mute shock; eyes wide, mouth slightly agape.

I was the first to speak.  “Do you hear that?” I whispered.  A silly question; obviously he did.

We listened as the sound – which at turns sounded like the pacing of heavy boots on wooden floors or the rocking of a rocker on the same – came from all around us.  At first, it sounded as if it were out in the hallway.  Then, in the bedroom to our right – where the two girls we had spoken to earlier in the evening were staying – then almost as if it was in the room with us.  I jumped from the chair and ran to the bed, scrambling in next to Brandon and we grasped hands.  He was shaking so violently that the entire bed trembled.

“Wh…why are you shaking?” I asked.  I knew he likely felt like me – terrified yet excited in the same breath.  There was a definite fear, but not one of eminent danger or the fright of actual harm.

“It’s just weird,” he whispered.  “It’s not like anything I’ve ever experienced before.”

And it wasn’t.  The hairs were literally raised on my neck and arms, my flesh goose-pimpled.  There was nothing in my life to date that I could relate this to; it was – without a doubt – a new experience.  Every fiber of my being tingled with this realization, which was shocking, frightening, and exhilarating all at once.  The sound – which was everywhere and nowhere at the same time – was not “here”.  Words do little to explain the actual experience, yet I can try to explain it by saying that it was as if we were hearing a sound that was not of “now”; more like a memory of a sound or a recording of a sound, except that it was here and very real.  The “memory of a sound” is as close as I can come to putting to words what the creaking, pacing sound was like.

Eventually we became used to it, and sat in silence trying to figure out where exactly it came from (it sounded, most often, as if it were in the room to our right) or what exactly it was.  Boots or a rocker, to this day I can’t be sure.  As the hours ticked by, we dozed in and out of sleep, the sound ever present.  Slowly, as the night began to wane and the sun began its slow rise, the sound began to lessen…weaken, almost.  It never went out completely or suddenly.  Instead, it slowly faded as the sun rose higher in the sky.

After some time, we awoke to hear squeals and excited, nervous voices from the young women in the room adjacent to ours.  Echoed choruses of, “Did you do it?!” came clearly through the walls and we wondered what could have happened and if it had anything to do with our mysterious and ghostly noise.

Later, we went downstairs to have breakfast in the courtyard and met up with the two young women; they were in a state, to be sure!  They babbled on to us, looks of fright on both their faces, explaining that they had kicked off their shoes before climbing into to bed to sleep.  When they woke, all of their shoes were lined up in the middle of the floor, toe to heel, as if someone had deliberately placed them that way.  They were in a perfect line, they told us, except for the last shoe which had a slight turn as if the line had been unfinished when the sun came up or they woke.  We told them about the noises we’d heard, and how much of it seemed to come from their room.  That seemed to be all they needed to hear – they were already packed and they left quickly; not even staying for breakfast!

I have no doubt that what we experienced was real nor do I doubt its otherworldly origins.  It was a fascinating experience and we felt privileged to have been able to witness it; it was definitely one of those things that was a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence.  Some people may never get to truly touch or make contact with “the other side”; some may do so a few times in their life, but I am glad to be able to say that – at least on this occasion – I absolutely had a ghostly adventure and experience.

For anyone wondering if a stop at The Myrtles Plantation in beautiful St. Francisville, Louisiana – in West Feliciana Parish – is worth a jaunt, I can unequivocally say “yes”.  Even a daytime visit or taking the weekday Historical Tour is worth your time.  The best time, of course, though, is the weekend evening Mystery Tours.  Photos taken in and around the 260+ year-old home always display a plethora of orbs, and many people end up photographing eerie things that aren’t apparent until when the film is developed or the photos brought up on a computer.  If you happen to be in St. Francisville, I also highly recommend a visit to the beautiful, old cemetery surrounding the Gothic-styled Grace Church, built in 1858, where many former residents of The Myrtles are laid to rest.

Products of Interest:

Haunted Histories Collection II - Volume 1: Haunted Houses, More Haunted Houses, & Zombies [DVD]

St Francisville Experiment [VHS]

Nice Purple Crape Myrtle Tree/shrub! 2 feet tall.

Facebook Fan Monica did some smart research and came up with a phone number for Melissa.

Let me back up a sec. After posting online for help, I had also sent Melissa an email asking if she was okay and giving her my phone number if she needed to talk to someone. (Normally I would not do this, but I don’t mess around with suicide. If someone’s at a point where they feel a need to make a statement about taking their own life, I’m putting the offer out there to be an ear if they need it!)

Anyway, so I was just about to call the number Monica shared when a reply email came back from Melissa.

PHEW! She was still alive. Mostly she was just pissed off because of some issues she’s had with a man she says is Internet stalking and harassing her –and has been for the last five years. She was fed up with something else he did a couple of days ago and just felt like if she put that out there he’d finally back off.

It all made me sad. I’ve had such great experiences with people I’ve met online. I’m sorry hers went so south.

But I can’t even tell you how happy my heart is that she’s still alive!

Monica, if you read this, thanks so much again for going to the trouble of helping like you did! That was very generous.

Products of Interest:

The Other Side: A Teen's Guide to Ghost Hunting and the Paranormal

Ghosts: True Encounters with the World Beyond

The Everything Ghost Hunting Book: Tips, tools, and techniques for exploring the supernatural world (Everything (New Age))

I guess the following email (pasted below) hit my inbox Monday. It’s been another nutty week so I’m behind on my emails. I just now opened it.

Under Affilliates.

I thought you might like to see my Website, as where I am from has some great Haunted Destination Sites.

My Team and I would be more than happy to train and certify those that come to us for explorations of Haunted Locations.

This is just so that they can learn the proper techniques and protocols for doing investigations before ever going out into the field.

They will also get to learn the Equipment before ever going into the field as well.

I own a group out of Northernmost NM, called Old West Ghost Investigations.

Our URL is http://www.freewebs.com/owgi.

If you ever want to do a story on us, then please let me know.

I will add that to our Media Links.

As well, I will send you a copy of our Banner at my alternate E Mail, as I am unable to send it via this E Mail Address.

Yours,

M. Bryan

OWGI

That was a nice email. I’m always looking for logo/banner exchange partners. I went to check out their site.

However, I found this VERY disturbing message when I got there:

Within 24 hours, this Website will once again be GONE.

I am Leaving Ghost Investigations and my Entire Life behind. I am Sick and Tired of Guy Allen Pettingill and Angel of Thy Night Stalking my Family and I.

I have had Enough and am going to get Out of my life, one way or the other.

I Refuse to get Jobs, I Refuse to Work, I Refuse to Live, I Refuse to Breathe, Nothing matters anymore. All that matters is taking my own life, taking Myself Out of this Nightmare I seem to have inherited!

I am whatever Trash, Garbage, etc. that Guy Allen Pettingill and Angel of Thy Night Proclaim me to be. I am a Fraud, Liar, Thief, etc. I am Whatever they want me to be, whatever they call me, it MUST be So!!!!!

I am SORRY for being ME!!!!

I APLOLOGIZE for EVER having been BORN!!!

I WISH I WERE DEAD!!!

GOODBYE!!!

Melissa Bryan was the name of the individual who sent me the email. I wrote her back asking her is she was all right or if her site had been hacked.

But I just did all of this. I don’t know if I would have found the same thing on that website if I’d checked Monday when I first got the email, but I’m not one to take suicide threats lightly.

Please, if any of you know Melissa Bryan or about the Old West Ghost Investigations and can help me figure out what’s happening, I really just want to make sure everyone involved is okay. I don’t know what to do or authorities to call, but I would. Suggestions/help welcome!

Products of Interest:

Spooked The Ghosts Of Waverly Hills Sanatorium

Unsolved Mysteries: Ghosts

ITW Space Compressible Bag BRS-9212ZG Vacuum-Seal Travel Roll Bags, Set of 4