When we flew Flight 1607 from BNA (Nashville) to SAT (San Antonio) we sat in Row 9. After as much luggage could be stowed in it as was going to fit, it was closed –and immediately popped back open.
The lady next to me tried to get it to shut. It wouldn’t latch. The flight attendant monkeyed with, seeming to know how to finagle it.
Except, the moment she turned her back to walk away, boop!, it popped back open again. As is most of their manners, Southwest flight attendants have good senses of humor. She made some funny remark, told the bin to behave, monkeyed with it again, and this time it seemed to work. The bin stayed close.
That’s how it remained during take off and most of the flight.
The woman next to me (I was in the middle with Wayne on my other side in the window seat) was chatty. She was heading back to Texas for a few days, taking a break from the Tennessee Walking Horse competition she’d been participating in that had brought her to Nashville.
The flight was almost over when she asked what I did.
“I’m a sort of travel writer.”
“Oh yeah? Interesting. But what do you mean sort of?”
I’m always hesitant to tell people I write about haunted places after the incident I had where one of my husband’s friends declared that since I like Halloween, I’m going to Hell. But this lady seemed cool. Besides, the flight was almost over. I wouldn’t have to suffer through trying to be saved very long.
“Well, I’m the Director of Paranormal Tourism for Haunt Jaunts. I write about haunted places.”
“Cool!” She then rambled on about how she liked Ghost Hunters better than Ghost Adventures and the ghost face in Galveston, where she grew up.
“Galveston has a lot of haunted places with its history. You should check it out.”
“Funny you say that. I had an opportunity to go stay at the Hotel Galvez but timing hasn’t quite worked out yet.”
“Well definitely look into that ghost face. It’s really famous.”
“I’ve heard about it before, but I’ll look into more. I haven’t written about it so it would give me something new to write about.”
That’s when the bin decided to pop open again.
The lady next to me didn’t see it, so I said, “Might want to shut that. I don’t want anything falling out on your head all of a sudden.”
She tried, but it wouldn’t stay closed. She signaled for the flight attendant, who once again had a heck of a time closing it.
“Darn latch,” she said.
The woman next to me jerked her thumb in my direction.
“I’m not sure it’s the latch. It might be one of her ghosts.”
“Well I don’t think it likes it up here. I think it’s demanding a bit more room. Might want to try putting it under your seat next time.”
When a trip starts out joking about haunted overhead bins, that’s a sign it’s going to be a good trip.
PHOTO CREDIT
“Open Seating” by Robert S Donovan via Creative Commons
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
People automatically start blaming ghosts for everything when people like us are around. 🙂
LOL! They do don’t they? It was a first for me to be called out in such a fashion as this, however. But sure makes for a funny story!
Maybe the locker was just trying to set the scene! Or maybe it just wanted more attention??!!
I wondered why I hadn’t seen any of your posts recently in my Google reader – and now I find your cool new website!! Apologies for staying away … it wasn’t deliberate!!!
Have a great day!!
Ooops! Sorry about that. Darn hackers did a number and I ended up switching my URL in the process too. Well, modifying it more than switching it. And while I was at it I had to get a new look, because my old theme was how they hacked in…It was a mess there for a while! But glad you found your way back. (I have been quiet on yours because 1st I was dealing with this website stuff and then 2nd I went on vacay and have been madly trying to catch back up on everything!)