So awhile back I hinted that I worked in a building that was supposedly haunted and a few people were intrigued so I thought I'd use today's Beyond the Books topic to tell that story.
Before I start 1. It's not that dramatic and 2. I'm not sure what exactly I believe so I'm only telling my experience.
One afternoon I was in the office alone. The lawyer was in court and the receptionist and paralegal were out somewhere and I was sitting in the waiting room to answer phones. I was on the phone and needed to take a message so I turned to the other side of the desk to grab a pen without fully straightening up and there in the middle of the sitting area was a man. I saw his heavy dark shoes and dark pants clearly. So clearly that I put my finger up to signal just a minute and when I got off the phone I straightened up with a customer service smile on my face prepared to say "How can I help you?"
Except no one was standing there. I was so convinced I had seen someone standing there that I searched the entire office and found that I was completely by myself. As I was walking back down the hall I realized that the floor was creaking as I walked just like it always does but the floor hadn't creaked at all when I saw the man and I hadn't heard the bell or the sound of the door being pushed open or shoved closed. I then spent the next 30 minutes trying to recreate just what I saw and never managed anything even close. There wasn't anything even vaguely the color I had seen and it wasn't a matter of shadows because of the way the lighting was. And I had felt like someone was in the room though that isn't really evidence.
For the rest of my time there I never saw anything else but I used to hear things all the time. My office was at the end of that long hallway and I used to hear people walking down the hall towards me regularly. I can't even count how many times I looked up expectantly waiting to see what whoever it was wanted only to never have anyone there.
One afternoon I was leaving a little early. It was just the paralegal and me in the office and when she saw that I was leaving she asked me to wait a minute and we could leave together. She kind of shoved stuff in her bag obviously not really done and hurried to catch up with me. When I asked her why she was leaving as she clearly wasn't ready she told me that she didn't stay in the building by herself because it was haunted and gave her the creeps.
I really don't know much about the history of the house or if there was any truth to it being haunted but I know it definitely felt like it was! A few years ago J and I went on a Haunted Walking Tour through downtown here and we walked by that house. The guide stopped and said that the medium they had brought in saw a red haired woman running out the door and over the balcony. It was all I could do not to ask "What about the man in the parlor?"
So that's my story. What about you? Do you believe? Have you had any experiences?
For the rest of my time there I never saw anything else but I used to hear things all the time. My office was at the end of that long hallway and I used to hear people walking down the hall towards me regularly. I can't even count how many times I looked up expectantly waiting to see what whoever it was wanted only to never have anyone there.
One afternoon I was leaving a little early. It was just the paralegal and me in the office and when she saw that I was leaving she asked me to wait a minute and we could leave together. She kind of shoved stuff in her bag obviously not really done and hurried to catch up with me. When I asked her why she was leaving as she clearly wasn't ready she told me that she didn't stay in the building by herself because it was haunted and gave her the creeps.
I really don't know much about the history of the house or if there was any truth to it being haunted but I know it definitely felt like it was! A few years ago J and I went on a Haunted Walking Tour through downtown here and we walked by that house. The guide stopped and said that the medium they had brought in saw a red haired woman running out the door and over the balcony. It was all I could do not to ask "What about the man in the parlor?"
So that's my story. What about you? Do you believe? Have you had any experiences?
What a cool and creepy story!! I would have been so freaked out working there.
ReplyDeleteCreepy! How long did you work there? I couldn't do it! Not after that man. I'm such a scardy cat. And even though I've never had an experience like that, I'm totally open to believing. I mean, I belive some of the stories are pure shit - but I have a hard time believing so many people have had ghostly experiences if they aren't real. What a perfect Halloween story!
ReplyDeleteI am not sure what I think about ghosts. I have never had any experiences personally, but have heard a lot of them over the years!
ReplyDeleteOoo what a fantastic story. I love all things haunted. While I wouldn't go out of my way to be alone in the building I would certainly love to work there. No a converted asylum no thank you..lol
ReplyDeleteOh boy you are brave! I would have been freaking out. When my mum was preggers with me, she was made to watch The Exorcist. As a kid I could never watch scary movies, even Kujo made me cry.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you so much for reading my Harry Potter post! I am very proud of our party. I suggest giving yourself like 3 weeks before the party date to start, like a week to get supplies, a week to make the crafts, and then the last week to preprep whatever you can for the food. The Shepherd's Pie and stew can be made a day ahead and the flavors would have great time to marinate with one another.
Well, no wonder you enjoy the Krewe of Hunters books -- you've experienced something similar, in a way! It's interesting that both you and the paralegal had a sense that there was something uncanny about the house, but she was creeped out and you were more interested than frightened. It's pretty clear you didn't feel threatened by what you saw, at least when you saw it, so if it was a ghost, it probably didn't intend any harm.
ReplyDeleteI don't really believe in the Ghostbusters kind of ghosts. But I do think that places can hold an echo of what once was. Sometimes, that might be a person, or rather, the shadow or impression they left behind. I've had a similar experience to yours. A few months before my husband and I got married, I got a job in a town near where he was living. For those few months, I lived in his parents' house -- a farmhouse built (at a guess) sometime between 1900 and 1925 or 1930. One evening, my future in-laws were out and I was the only person home. I was reading up in my room when I heard voices, then music and laughter. It wasn't as loud as if my in-laws were speaking, so I thought, "Oh, they've come home; they must have turned on the television." I went downstairs to greet them, and there was no one there. The TV and radio were off. As I thought back on it, I realized that the music sounded like 1920s music. Like your experience, I didn't feel at all threatened, though it was uncanny. I told my future MIL about it later, and she was very matter-of-fact about it. Apparently, my BIL had also heard something in the house at some point... though in more than 25 years, I've never actually asked him about it.
Wow, what a great post. Yes I believe in ghosts and no there have not been any specter related incidents but I have gotten subtle feelings that I wasn't alone at times.
ReplyDeleteOh that sounds cool and creepy! I stayed the night in a haunted hotel once, it was cool but I didn't see anything. Now that I have watched all these ghost hunting shows I would like to try again and bring a recorder to see if I hear anything cool...lol. I am not really a believer but I do find it all fascinating. I need to see something to believe it. :)
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post. Spooky!
ReplyDeleteI am a huge skeptic about the paranormal when it comes to fortune tellers and mediums and the like, but I have had too many encounters like yours above to write off ghosts. I loved this story.
ReplyDeleteGreat article, love your sharing so much, thank you!
ReplyDeleteI don't know if I believe in ghosts but I don't see why they wouldn't exist if that makes sense. I think somehow we are all connected to the past and that we leave something ourselves as energy in things we care about...places and people. I think to see them if they exist you need to be very open or taken by surprise. If you look, I don't think you see.
ReplyDeleteThat is really creepy! I think I would have felt a lot different if I had actually seen someone in my house. Wow! Your story gave me chills. Thanks for sharing it and participating this week!
ReplyDeleteAhhh creepy! I've had a couple encounters over the years that left me fairly wigged out. One was at my grandmom's house when the kitchen water turned itself on when I was the only one in the house and in the adjoining room. Got up and walked over and it turned itself off. Freaked. Me. Out. A friend of mine in high school wouldn't come in their house. He walked in the door with me and was like nope! Not happening. There was something spirity that just put him on edge.
ReplyDeleteThat really is creepy, Katherine. I don't know whether I believe in ghosts myself. I can't say I have had any real experiences with them. There have been two incidents in my life that made me wonder about spirits though. Thank you for sharing, Katherine!
ReplyDeleteThat's quite the experience - creepy indeed! I've had a couple of encounters of the unexplained myself, and they have definitely lead me to have more thoughts towards ghosts and such. I think I'm a believer! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteLove this story. I've seen and heard a few things myself in my own place of work....
ReplyDeleteShadows going past me to the toilets and I thought it was a child except no-one ran past me.
Bin lids 'falling' off (not like normal falling off, more like being thrown across the room off)
Things 'falling' off shelves (more thrown than fall)
Hearing voices and asking what they said only to find no-one there
knocking on the door and answering it to find no-one there.
People I work with have seen figures sitting down on the seats, or figures in our laundry room that haven't gone past us and have disappeared.
Well that would creep me out!
ReplyDelete