Ghostly Voices, Ghostly Touches

Laura Breck

Happy October 20!

Here's something you may not know about me. At one time I worked for the local bishop's office of a national church. As part of my job, I traveled to other bishops' offices throughout the region to assist the office staff in setting up their computers.

The Duluth, Minnesota office was at that time located in a beautiful old mansion right on Lake Superior. Instead of paying for a hotel room for me, they offered to let me stay in the house. I agreed, but a couple of the staff warned me the house was haunted.

I laughed it off, but these mature, conservative people (lay and cleric) swore that it was true, and told me about many of the strange happenings in the house. The worst had always occured when someone stayed overnight.

Great!

So, I asked if I could bring my hubby and teenage son along, The staff all thought that would be a very good idea.

The house was amazing. Old and dignified, it boasted hardwood floors, dark wood paneling, mega-fireplaces, and a fantastic view of the big lake they call Gitchi Gummi (Yes, I'm a Gordon Lightfoot fan.)

We stayed two nights without incident, even though we remained alert, oversensitive to paranormal activity. I've always said, those who believe in spirits, see them. Those who don't believe, usually don't. I'm a skeptic. If a book falls off a shelf in another room, it's just a book falling off a shelf. It's not Herman Melville reminding me I'd never finished reading his book.

The next morning, I'd just stepped out of one of the upstairs showers and began dressing when my son's voice from the hallway asked, "Can I get the shampoo?"

"Sure," I said, and pulled on my robe. When I opened the door, he wasn't there. I shouted for him, but there was no answer. I walked back into the bathroom to put the shampoo back in the shower, and glanced out the window.

There on the lawn, one floor down and about fifty yards away, my husband and son walked back toward the house from the lake. There was no possible way he could have been in the house just seconds before.

I remember screaming, turning in circles, looking out the window, then screaming somemore. I dressed extremely quickly and ran out of the house barefoot. It took a while for the guys to get me calmed down. As we packed to go home, I made sure one or the other of my men stayed right beside me.

What I heard – I don't know. It was my son's voice. We'd only brought one bottle of shampoo, so it made sense that he'd ask for it to use in his bathroom. But why would a spirit ask for shampoo? Was he playing a joke? And do spirits take on other people's voices?

An even spookier occurrence rattled me a few years later. I worked in the business office of a long-term care facility. One of my favorite job duties was to talk with the residents about their financial concerns regarding their rent.

I loved chatting with these lovely folks, walking with them around the facility, and dancing with them on Friday afternoons when the polka band played. Some of the residents and I became very close. It felt almost as if I had a half-dozen grandmas and grandpas.

One winter evening, I worked late. Isolated in my basement office, I had all the lights on and the hall door open, but the place remained deadly silent. Suddenly feeling the creeps, I turned on my radio and took a moment to watch the snow flutter down in the darknes outside my window.

I jumped a foot when I felt the stroke of a hand on the back of my head. When I swung around to see which co-worker was brave enough to play a prank on me, I found… no one. No one in the office, no one outside the door in the long hallway.

It was hard for me to breathe, and my case of the creeps grew to epic proportions, rattling my knees and sending shivers through me.

Within seconds, I had shut down the computer, donned my coat and boots, and jogged out of the building. At home, I didn't tell my hubby about it, probably because I'd talked myself into believing it had just been my imagination.

The next morning, back at my desk, I printed the midnight reports. On there, I found the name of one of my "grandmas." Deceased. She'd passed away at nearly the same time I'd felt the touch of a hand, smoothing down my hair in a caring caress. I closed my eyes and took a moment to say goodbye.

Do spirits linger a while after leaving our bodies? Do they take a few minutes, hours, days, to say farewell to their friends and loved ones?

I hope you enjoyed my scary-but-true stories, and it was nice to revisit them after all these years. I still don't believe in ghosts, but I do believe these two incidents had to be some kind of supernatural phenomenon. Definitely not anything that can be explained away easily.

Have you ever heard disembodied voices, or felt a phantom touch? I'd love to hear about it!

Laura

LauraBreck.com

Secret Vegas Lives

Scandalous L.A. Desires

both available from Red Rose Publishing

A Very Scary Time in Witch City!

Laura Breck

Hi Friends - Happy October!

This spring I had the privilege of presenting a workshop at the Let Your Imagination Take Flight conference of the New England Chapter of Romance Writers of America. I also had the pleasure of meeting Roses of Prose's own Jerri Hines. *waving to Jerri*

The conference is fabulous, and the historic hotel and town are truly wonderful. If you ever get the chance to see Salem, do it. It's incredible.

I brought my hubby along on the trip, and we rented a little apartment a bit west, but still in walking distance, of the conference venue. We did so mainly because nearly every hotel and bed-and-breakfast boasts "paranormal activity" or "sleep with the restless spirits." Absolutely not our choice for lodging. Give us a brand new Super 8 with zero ghosts, and we're very happy.

After settling into the place, we headed out to see the neighborhood. The apartment sat on the edge of the McIntire Historic District, and kitty-corner from the oldest cemetery I've ever visited, the Broad Street Cemetery. At first I felt a little creepy, but hubby took my hand and we explored the quiet spot. Tombstones from pre-Revolutionary War days still stood on this raised plot of land shaded by huge, old trees. One evening, he even talked me into enjoying a sunset from the cemetery. He explained away all the strange noises and shadows, but… *just got a chill here*

Broad Street Cemetery

The historic district is beautiful. We spent hours – both during the day and at night – criss-crossing the streets, enjoying the striking architecture. We experienced a few spooky moments. A cat ran out and startled us, a door swung open but no one was there, and an old church that I could not capture with my camera. *another chill*




I have to admit, I'm not much of a believer in the paranormal, but being in Salem, immersed in the pervasive atmosphere of ghosts and spirits and paranormal activity, I started feeling a bit otherworldly.

On our last day, we did our memento shopping. Hubby asked what I wanted, and I said, "Nothing." But all I could think about was, "It would be fun to have my Tarot read!" Again, I don't put much stock in that sort of thing, but I thought, "When in Rome…"

As we wandered the shopping areas downtown, I peered in the windows of palm readers and psychic shops until I stood in front of one that I couldn't resist. Seriously couldn't resist. I found myself walking in without a word to hubby who stood outside (probably wondering what the heck I was doing!) I felt compelled to enter this store.




I asked the woman behind the desk if she had a psychic available for a reading. "Doug is here." Doug? Hmmm. I was expecting someone more exotic, like Madame Valushka, a short woman with a turban. But okay, Doug it was. He sat at a table behind a tapestry curtain looking very, very unexotic. I sat across from him and told him I would like a Tarot reading because I was at a crossroads in my career and didn't know what to do. He gave me the cards and asked me to shuffle them while I thought about my question.

After I handed the cards back to him, something strange happened. He began laying the cards on the table and stopped. He looked at me and started talking. The gist was, I am an old soul, and it's my last time on Earth. My soul continues to come back to Earth because there's something I haven't finished. He said I'm psychically blocked, and I need to open up and admit to my strong psychic abilities."

Interesting words, to be sure, but the strange part was, while he was talking, I experienced the most intense déjà-vu I've ever known. I've had déjà-vu once in a while, but nothing like this. It continued for probably thirty seconds, and I felt as if I were out of my body. As if two universes were laid atop one other and were projecting themselves into my brain.

Breathless, I interrupted Doug, apologized, and told him what had just happened. He leaned forward and said, "I know. We've done this before in another life." *major chill*

He said there was a reason I was in Salem – the paranormal capital of the world. He said I had been guided to this city, to this shop, and to him specifically.

The reading was only fifteen minutes, but it felt like it took forever. When I stood to leave the shop I was shaking. I found my hubby and we headed to the waterfront and sat on a sunny bench to chase away the – yes, you guessed it – chills!

He listened, amazed at what I told him. He knows I'm not the type to fall for anything shady, so listening to my story gave him a couple of chills, too.




I still have déjà-vu occasionally, but it has taken on a new meaning for me. Following Doug's advice, I've allowed myself to use my own intuition when dealing with people. I won't have another Tarot reading, though. Unless, of course, I end up in Salem some day and wander by that little psychic shop...

It's a piece of my life I'll never forget. When I think of Salem, I think of Doug (who may just be reading this right now – Hi Doug!) I think of that thirty second out-of-body experience, and the hour I spent sitting next to my wonderful hubby on that sunny bench and sharing with him one of the strangest phenomenon I've ever encountered.

Wow, just talking about it again has me all jittery. Have you ever experienced psychic phenomena? Or have you had your Tarot or palm read? I can't wait to hear your stories.

Laura
LauraBreck.com
Secret Vegas Lives
Scandalous L.A. Desires
both available from Red Rose Publishing