Ghost Story #4: Stuffed Haunt

On October 14, 2012October 14, 2012 By R. PettyIn Short Stories1 Comment

Demonic possession is an interesting concept. Especially when it’s an object being controlled by a demon or spirit. Is it possible for something to take over an inanimate object such as a doll or stuffed animal? Think Child’s Play.

This week’s story comes from a guest blogger, and I admit if this happened to me, the thing would have been burned.

The Polar Bear

As any first-year law student knows, time is the ever-present opponent that controls your quality of life, because a 20-minute nap can feel like salvation while hearing “five minutes remaining” can feel like the moments leading up to a gas chamber.

I was a first-year law student when the events of this story took place. I recently returned to my apartment for a second semester after enjoying a much needed Christmas holiday with family. One of the presents I received was a generic stuffed polar bear about the size of a golden retriever.

After returning to school, the workload gradually increased to the point where I hated everything about life except for the brief moments of reprieve from work. It was one of these moments that fostered my one and only experience with something seemingly unnatural.

I arrived at my apartment, trudged up the stairs, and deposited my bags by the kitchen sink. I ate a quick bowl of cereal and quickly skimmed the cases I had to read. That night’s workload was light, so I decided to take a nap first. In the apartment, my couch abutted a wall and faced the stairs about 15 feet away. Before falling asleep, I distinctly remember my polar bear sitting next to the stairwell facing the stairs.

After sleeping for about an hour, I awoke and immediately saw that I was staring into the flat, lifeless eyes of the polar bear, which was in the same spot but had inexplicably rotated about 100 to 120 degrees while I slept. I still have no explanation for this unusual event. I had no roommates and nobody else had access to the apartment. Both doors were still locked, and nobody else had a key except the property manager, but she never dropped in without advanced notice.

Being a rational person who prizes logic, I can only concoct three explanations. One, I misremembered the orientation of the polar bear after waking up (this is the most likely, but I am fairly certain the bear was facing the stairs). Two, I awoke during my nap and rotated the bear to face me while in a restful stupor (this seems unlikely because I have never been known to sleepwalk, nothing else was disturbed, and the bear was oriented precisely in my direction). Three, the polar bear somehow moved itself or was moved through some extraordinary force (this seems patently silly because I am a diehard skeptic).

Some people urged me to discard the bear to play it safe. After all, who wants a thing in their life that cannot be understood and therefore cannot be controlled? Being such a loyal skeptic, I opted to keep the polar bear. He remains in my closet to this day, after three years. In some ways, thebear has become my best friend, and we’ll be friends to the end.

Want more? Be sure to read our other stories, and share your experiences in the comments sections!

Ghost Story #3: Sounds in the Dark

On October 10, 2012October 13, 2012 By James CastroIn Short Stories3 Comments

As I said in my FIRST ghosty-post I’m a cynic who starts from skepticism until I experience something that forces me to accept a different conclusion. Most of the time I search for other explanations before coming to “it’s ghosts!” or “it’s bigfoot!” Though I start as a skeptic once unexplainable evidence is presented I am willing to accept the supernatural explanation.

If nothing else just so, in the movie of my own personal ghost story, I’m not the guy everyone hates yelling “It was just the wind!” to the characters you’re supposed to like.

Sounds in the Dark

I work in a creepy building. Most of it is typical office space, but there are eerie places; “the stacks,” entire floors which consist of rows and rows long dark aisles of books or boxes. Policy is you turn off the lights when you leave a stack area so I’ve gotten into the habit of only turning on the lights I need so I never accidentally forget and leave lights on. There are rumors that our second floor, where our manuscript documents are kept, is haunted but I never really believed it. I couldn’t imagine what ghost would want to spend its ethereal eternity amidst old boxes and books. I attributed the spooky stories to the fact that the second floor looks the creepiest. Most of our other stack areas have small castle-turret style windows. The second floor has none, so it’s just the glow of the exit signs and whatever lights you turn on.

Dark Corridor Stack Two — The main aisle of the second floor with the lights out, how I usually see it.

Over the years I got used to wandering around in the dark up there, counting steps to switches and navigating in the dark. There used to be one gate I could get into without a key (had to know the trick!) so I would always use that door no matter which end of the floor I was going to.

One afternoon I needed to retrieve something from the second floor so, as usual I went to two, entered the gate I could break into, and started my way down the main corridor in the dark. I needed to go ALL the way down to the other end, but I didn’t mind the dark and quiet.

I was maybe a third of the way down the corridor when I heard the distinct sound of a box being pulled from a shelf…then replaced. I stopped to listen, there are many sounds on that floor, machine room sounds, vents, noises from floors above, but none were as easily identifiable (I’ve pulled hundreds of boxes from these metal shelves, I know that sound…) as this…or as close. I started walking again and heard it again, box sliding off the metal…then sliding back on. It was coming from the 1^st range…the range I was going to. I heard it at least two more times as I got closer. I flipped the switch on the 1^st range and peered cautiously around the corner.

Nothing there.

I went through the possibilities… Either another staff member was pulling boxes in the dark, replaced everything, jumped on the ceiling, and skittered away when I arrived…or…it was a ghost. “Ghost” was actually the most plausible explanation in this case! And least frightening…

Since then I’ve heard other sounds, including high-heeled shoes trailing along a few feet behind me as I navigated the ranges. A friend and I also went ghost hunting on the second floor (with my android ghost app once!) and we both heard disembodied shuffling right behind us down a dark corridor we’d just come down. Despite this I never feel unsettled or afraid…more fascinated.

Now I look forward to going to that floor. You never know what you might find in the strangest places.

Second floor ghost — A coworker walked down the corridor after I opened the shutter. Looks like a ghost to me!

Ghost Story # 2: In the Hall

On October 7, 2012October 5, 2012 By R. PettyIn Short Stories1 Comment

I’ll keep this simple. I believe in ghosts. Thirty years of living in haunted houses will do that to you. I don’t think I had a choice not to believe. I grew up listening to ghost stories about various houses I lived in, and there were too many unexplained things that happened… and still do.

Submitted for the approval of the RevPub readers, I call this story:

A Stranger in the Hall

My son was four days old. We returned from the hospital the day before, and he was asleep. I desperately wanted a hot shower, so I took advantage of the nap. He hardly slept when he was little.

I was alone with him in the house, so I locked all the doors and left his and the bathroom doors cracked open. I got in the shower, and as I was washing my face I heard footsteps in the hall, which is adjacent to the bathroom. (map)

I poked my head out and heard squeak, squeak, squeak, down the hall again.

I knew better than to say, “hello, is anyone there?” That will get you killed. I left the water on, quietly stepped out, wrapped a towel around me, and poked my head out the door. I assumed I would see my husband, but there was nothing.

Cussing to myself, I checked the doors, and everything was still locked. My son was fine, too. I stepped back in the shower, and as I was washing my hair, I heard footsteps in the hall again. Squeak, squeak, squeak.

I listened longer this time, and heard it again. Back and forth, back and forth. Squeak, squeak, squeak. I rushed out of the shower, grabbed the towel (again) and scissors this time, and slowly crept out of the bathroom.

Nothing. Not a sound, not a movement, and my son was sleeping in the exact spot I left him.

Irritated, I checked the doors and made my way back to the shower. I waited a couple of minutes and didn’t hear anything, so I got back in. As I finished and turned the water off, there were footsteps again. Squeak, squeak, squeak. I got out and dried off. Squeak, squeak, squeak. I got dressed this time, with scissors in hand, and was ready to kill someone.

With hair in towel, I stepped into the hall. Nothing. Every door locked, my son asleep, and not a sound or disruption. My only reaction was to get mad, and I simply said, “I don’t know what or who you are, but you can at least let me take a shower.”

———

Later when I told my husband and mother-in-law about it, they were calm and believed me. They explained my deceased father-in-law’s spirit was still in the house, and he was watching the baby while I took a shower. And to this day, I believe it.

Thankfully, it’s never happened again, or I don’t care enough to notice, but sometimes I still hear footsteps in the hall when no one is there. Sometimes while laying on the couch in the living room, there are footsteps in the same room. Squeak, squeak, squeak.

You can think I’m crazy, and I’m sure some of my friends do, but no one has been able to explain it. And I’m okay thinking it’s a good spirit keeping watch. I hope to do the same one day…

Have you ever heard anything and couldn’t explain it? Tell us about it in the comments section!

Ghost Story #1: Lurking Around College

On October 3, 2012October 3, 2012 By James CastroIn Random Fun, Short Stories2 Comments

My belief in ghosts is complicated. My logical side can’t quite grasp why the spirit of a deceased life would linger around here and creep people out or repeatedly do the same tasks over and over. On the other hand, my willingness to accept that we know very little about the natural world causes me to believe that all that energy a life possesses must go somewhere, so why not retain a consciousness as a “ghost” or something we don’t fully understand? At the same time I think if my energy, consciousness, or spirit lingered around after I died and could interact with people and my environment I would ABSOLUTELY creep people out, so that’s a double tick next to the “maybe there are ghosts” column.

Even my logical side struggles with some of what I experience and this month, as the far more fetching half of RevPub stated in her last post, I thought I would share some of my more unexplainable experiences. Starting with one from college.

I lived in an internal, single dorm in college. Roommate life was definitely not for me so sophomore-senior years I lived in a dorm where I had a room to myself. Unlike the 1960s-style hotel dorms on campus where all the rooms opened to the outside, this building was a brick structure with offices on the first floor, a keypad (with a 4-digit number to unlock it) that opened to the second floor where all the dorm rooms were.

One night I was carrying groceries in several bags. I shifted bags when I got to the locked door to the dorms, so I was holding them all in one hand so I could input the unlock code into the number pad. I glanced over my shoulder and saw another guy behind me. He had an annoying, hipster-ish Hey, Hey we’re the Monkees Mickey Dolenz haircut and wore a retro orangey striped shirt.

The Monkees — That’s him second from the right. Hair just like that!

Shirt — Not exactly like this but close. It was more like this without the broad yellow bands, just rows and rows of the narrower stripes.

I input the correct number and gently, but firmly, kicked the door open. I nudged it open with my elbow enough to let the dude behind me get in too. I hadn’t seen him before and didn’t get a good look at him. Technically I wasn’t supposed to let a stranger in, but rather than be a jerk I thought I’d just let him tailgate through the door and not have to go through the trouble of entering the entrance number. I got a little annoyed by how close this guy was behind me up the stairs (which curved twice and had one landing), and I glanced at him again over my shoulder with kind of a “want to give me some space?” look as I heard the door close downstairs. My room was RIGHT next to the top of the stairs, and as I approached my door and put my bags down, I glanced back at him again and he was gone… I calmly held my keys quiet and walked to the stairs, looking over the rail and listening for footsteps. No one was on the stairs. No one opened the door downstairs. No one went down the hallway. My logical side took over and said, “maybe I just missed him…maybe he went back down as soon as I reached my door…maybe I even imagined him.” But I knew he was there. I saw him. Got annoyed at him. Remembered what he was wearing and how he looked… And more than anything there was a feeling that someone WAS there and something wasn’t right about the way they just weren’t there anymore… To this day I can’t say for sure, “I saw a ghost!” but that was a little unusual…

Stay tuned for more personal supernatural stories from both RevPub authors during the whole month of October, leading up to our favorite holiday! Halloween is the most wonderful time of the year, the only day I can legitimately dress like a killer, monster, or zombie and everyone thinks it’s fun.

A Supernatural Love/Hate Relationship

On September 30, 2012October 19, 2012 By R. PettyIn TV Shows1 Comment

Supernatural fans around the world (10 million-plus on Facebook) anxiously await season 8’s premiere on Wed., Oct. 3.

I became a fan of the show after borrowing seasons 1-3 from my awesome RevPub partner. After the third episode, I was hooked. Since then, I have recommended the show to friends, co-workers, and family.

However, my relationship with Supernatural is not all roses and rainbows. I recently finished season 5 in full, which left me with the question: should the show have ended then? So, what better way to hash out an argument, than to start a discussion?

Oh Supernatural, how I love (and hate) thee. Let me list the ways…
(contains spoilers)

Love: The Winchester boys. You’re either a Sam fan or a Dean fan, but you like both. They are attractive, funny guys who have a good time and love what they do. I had the pleasure of attending the convention last year, and I loved them even more. The guys have great chemistry, entertain their audience, and truly care about their fans. They are some of the nicest celebrities you will ever meet.

Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles — Jared Padalecki (Sam) and Jensen Ackles (Dean)
Photo from ign.com

Love: The creativity. The show covers lore from witches to windigos, to shape shifters to ghosts, and genies to the Four Horsemen. If it’s supernatural, it has been in the show (or will be). I am often surprised by the plot and dialogue, and most times it’s well written and fun. And the soundtrack is perfect.

Both: The weak minor characters. For example, Meg, Becky, most of the angels and demons, the Leviathan. These characters are either disposable, or the actors aren’t great. Most times, they are only there to move the plot or irritate you.

Hate: My favorite characters being killed off. Bobby, the Trickster, Ellen, Jo, and Cass has died more times than I can count. Bobby’s death was cheap to his character and legacy, and bringing him back as a ghost was unnecessary. If one character deserved instant peace, it was Bobby.

Bobby Singer from Supernatural — Jim Beaver (Bobby)
Photo from chrystaldreams.centerblog.net

Love: The variety. In each season, there are episodes that will make you laugh, creep you out, and always give you a conversation starter. Some scenes have been a little goofy – such as a unicorn impaling a man – but it adds to the charm. They even made a show based on the show. That is one of the funniest episodes ever.

Hate: The drama. You need a little drama, but sometimes it’s too much. They don’t need to talk about their feelings that often. They’ve been through a lot and will never be “normal”. We get it.

Both: Seasons 5 and 7 plots. The angel/demon war dragged, and Leviathan were not nearly as bad ass as the writers wanted them to be. However, there are some really great episodes and new characters introduced in these seasons, so they’re must sees. Garth is one of my new favorites, and I hope he returns in season 8.

As you can see, Supernatural and I have a complicated relationship. It may seem crazy, but in every relationship, you must decide if it’s worth it. I remain a devoted fan, even though I don’t always agree with the writers and producers. They must be doing something right though, as the show is set to be the longest-running show in CW history.

As you tune in to watch season 8, be sure to check in next week as we kick off supernatural stories of our own. In celebration of Halloween and all things spooky, we will tell our stories – all true – of unexplained ghostly goodness.

In the meantime, enjoy one of our favorite videos from the show. Meet Death.

Off the Top of My Head #5: Winning Hearts and Minds with Goldie the Black and Yellow Garden Spider

On September 26, 2012September 26, 2012 By James CastroIn Opinions, Random Fun2 Comments

I once had a serious brown recluse infestation. A flat, cardboard glue trap designed to ensure that our cat, Sweetie, had beaten her flea problem, caught one giant brown recluse. Afterward more traps caught dozens, sometimes HUNDREDS more, of all sizes all over the room. Needless to say it caused nightmares and paranoia, but, believe it or not, after a while I got used to them. I’d sit in the floor, playing guitar or drawing, and see one creep by. I’d smash the life out of it, and then go right back to business as usual. I have since traded my brown recluse infestation with a cellar spider infestation. They EAT brown recluses but are harmless to people so I say it’s a fair, natural, “circle of life” kind of trade.

Spiders creep people out. Often the reasons for this are “they have too many legs,” or “too many eyes,” or “they’re dangerous.” Mostly I think it’s because they’re an unseen threat, we usually only notice them if something is wrong, like we’re bitten or we see them in an unusual are like a bedroom or kitchen. I think of it this way: I had hundreds of brown recluses stuck to glue traps. I only ever saw 20 or so running loose alive. As far as I know I was never bitten and who knows how many were actually roaming around that I DIDN’T see and weren’t in the traps. So maybe my infestation was good for me, it got me accustomed to them and taught me a bit about fear.

It gave me a new spider policy: I bring them no harm, no matter how dangerous they may be, so long as they’re outside. I’ve even released a brown recluse that a friend asked me to identify, she brought him to me in a cup and I felt if I killed her it would feel like executing a prisoner of war…somehow just wrong… If they are inside I typically bring them no harm if they are harmless. Woe to the poor brown recluse that staggers through my defenses into my room now though…dangerous ones in my space I treat like invaders…

But most people hate spiders, even those outside. During my vacation the first week of August I left my home and came across her:

She built her web at the end of our carport and I immediately recognized her as a gold and black, or yellow and black, garden spider. I knew she was harmless and her web was so impressive I implored everyone in the house to let her be. Everyone wholeheartedly agreed and, despite the fact that she was initially considered creepy by some, she has grown on us. She was named “Goldie” and we put up a sign to warn package delivery services to not destroy her web or bring her any harm.

Goldie the female Yellow and Black Spider.

Every morning we check her web, see if she’s caught any food (it’s usually in tatters from the moths and other insects she’s skewered) and every now and then she’s draining some poor meal (I still feel for the eaten bugs…what a way to go..)

Goldie Snack — That was a WASP. She had quite a meal there…

Goldie has become kind of an outside pet. We are pleased to see she’s eating well (I’ve tried to offer up some superworms which unfortunately flew straight through her web), we cheered when she built not one but TWO massive egg sacs, but we lament that, despite the safety of her location from birds, she will not likely find a mate in the carport…

Goldie the spider changed the hearts and minds of many around here who feared or disliked spiders. The fear of spiders is largely irrational; as are most fears. Remember a world without spiders is a world full of cockroaches, moths, and flies! And I for one am much happier with these lovely little killers out there.

Here’s a video of Goldie spinning her web. Forgive the raw version of it I took it in a rush THIS morning and haven’t had time to edit it yet. I had never before seen her doing this and was pretty excited to get it on video at all!