01/29/03
by Rumpleteazer
I believe in ghosts. I believe in aliens. I believe in the powers of a good stiff martini!
Actually, I'm not so sure about the ghosts and aliens. Nevertheless, I'd rather have a drink with my friends and discuss them, than sit through another boring episode of The West Wing.
I live in a house that has gained quite a reputation for being haunted. When I have friends or guest over, it's not unusual for them to see, hear, smell or feel an unexplained presence in the house, and more often than not, it's a combination of any number of things. We often share our accounts of unusual experiences with each other and as we do, the certainty that we are dealing with a ghost becomes almost impossible to deny. It's difficult to dismiss such events, when we have all experienced them.
The actual hauntings seem to be of the usual sort: a friend saw a light come on in an empty room; another heard her name being whispered as something cold brushed up against her; when my boss came over for a visit once, a door opened mysteriously right in front of her; I hear noises coming from the basement on an almost nightly basis; and several of us have caught a whiff of cherry pipe tobacco in guest bedroom, even though I had the entire house professionally cleaned and painted with sealer several years ago after a fire.
The house itself has all the right "qualities" for a haunting, as well. It's an old house, it's creepy, and people have died there. One guy was shot in the back by his wife as he ran from the house; a teenager who was left by himself for a weekend was chopped up in the basement by a psycho who had escaped from the hospital around the corner from us; and in what is now our guest bedroom, a woman supposedly died of natural causes, even though she was barely thirty years old and had no known health problems. Those are just a few of the stories that we know of. Unfortunately, any solid proof of these deaths has long since been lost, so I have to rely solely on what I've heard through the grapevine. My friends and I believe the stories, though. We've been there and we've heard the lonely cries in the dark.
The strange thing about this haunting however, is that even with all the stuff that has been happening there, no one has actually seen a ghost in the house. No one has ever been hurt, had anything stolen, or even been sprayed with ectoplasm for that matter. Most of our specter's antics seem to be harmless pranks. I, personally, am convinced that it's because the ghost knows that if it scares us bad enough, I'll move. And right now, it is having too much fun with us.
Of course, a rational mind could easily explain these incidents. It's an old house, and it is prone to settling and drafts. However, my friends and I prefer not to be rational. We prefer to give way to our fears and enjoy the spectacle of having an entity join us. I've even invited a friend or two over that didn't believe in ghosts, just to see them try their best to convince us that there is no such thing. But, we just ignore their ramblings and soon enough, they come around. It can't be easy to maintain your convictions while sitting in a room full of people who have abandoned all rational thought. Eventually, they all get caught up in the excitement of being a part of a haunting.
Why?
Because it's fun!
Quite frankly, my friends and I enjoy scaring the hell out of each other. It gives us something to do in our spare time that works our imagination, and our sense of humor. Not to mention, it's quite an accomplishment to take something so mundane as a couple of pipes banging together and turn it into a full fledged ghost story. And it really isn't all that hard to get started, seeing how most people have at least a small curiosity about ghosts.
So take my advice, the next time you expect company, be prepared. Put a bedroom light on a timer or run around the house spraying an unusual fragrance. It doesn't have to be much, just enough to catch one person's attention. That should get the ball rolling. Oh, and don't forget to have a short, simple story ready!
Trust me, your friends will thank you!
More At Brainiax
Chocolate for the
Socially Challenged
a collection of short stories
Mock Interviews
with the famous...
and not so famous
Email Funnies
just to annoy you a little more
Favorite Quotes
Games
Links
Brainiax Main Menu | Issues Menu | Issues Archive | About Us | Guestbook
Have a comment? Please visit the Brainiax YahooGroup
Don't want to say it out loud? Email us at: [email protected]
Unless otherwise stated, all contents copyright � 2000-2003, Brainiax.