While the subject of haunted houses should be a part of any self-respecting, ghost-related website, it has to be said that the overall topic is possibly made all the more interesting when the activities concerned involve properties associated with level-headed researchers themselves.
*Case 1 - A House 'Suddenly' Haunted?
Brief Intro - and potential 'foundation stones'?:
As some of my friends still live in the area concerned - certainly not a million miles from my current home - I still occasionally walk past the house. I'm sure a lot of people would know what I mean in saying that it 'physically' hurts me to see the place at these times, knowing that someone else now lives in 'my home'. Despite the fact that I've been in my current address for some 13 years now, started a family and so on, the old house is still regarded as 'home'; the image that immediately pops into the minds eye, when anyone mentions the word. Having mentioned the contents of this paragraph to a number of people now, I was not at all surprised to find that a great many share the same or very similar feelings about previous homes - and, in particular, childhood homes. Needless to say, such feelings are completely understandable - and possibly worthy of note in the circumstances being mentioned here.
Since leaving the property, I have, on a regular basis, indulged myself in the habit of re-visiting the house in my mind; walking through every inch of the place, trying to refresh and re-refresh my memory of every nook and cranny, stair and floorboard creak. There is, of course, a rather perverse effect to such meanderings, as I do find that I have been virtually 'torturing' myself at such junctures: not wanting to somehow lose the idea of what my former residence looked, felt and smelled like, but quite horrified by the knowledge that it was all now gone.
I don't mind admitting that, for some years now - and given my interest in such matters - I had half joked about 'myself' possibly 'haunting' my old home in some way(?) In mentally re-visiting the house, I had got into the way of seldom missing out a ponderance over whether, at some points in time, my 'apparition' isn't witnessed by the current occupants, shambling across the living room carpet or perhaps bounding up the stairs of the property!
On this subject, I must admit - with more than a degree of embarrassment - that I have taken the notion further in actually 'wishing' myself on the property at times. I will readily admit that this had been done in mixture of frustration and misguided anger at thoughts of my unwanted ejection from the property and the current residents…. "Look at me!" my ghost rages, "This is 'My' home that you're living in!". While moderately cliché, the subject of a thousand and one haunted house stories, this is a scenario that - embarrassment again - I have envisioned, in one form or another, oh-so-many times and over the space of many years…..
In my defence - from a practical, 'evidence' point of view - I have shared this 'mental visit' information with a number of people over the years leading up to the discovery of the events that follow. I state this now purely as a matter of evidence - as it's all too easy for these types of story to take on a wholly fantastical slant and, in a great many cases, people do have a tendency to embroider such tales with what they take to be confirmatory details - subsequently - which are frequently only added to give a tale more depth, mystique or drama. Basically, what I'm trying to say here, is that I can 'call to the dock' people who had heard my 'do I haunt my old house?' waffling, well 'before' I learned of the following data........
Now, coming forward to January 2010, and I received a phone call on my mobile one morning while out walking. (Contact via this medium - ahem, no pun intended! - is almost invariably 'ghost related', as this is the phone no. logged on our web site for people to ring). There was a youngish sounding woman on the line who seems rather hesitant to speak with me to begin with.... but this is certainly no surprise when dealing with ghostly topics, as pretty much everyone starts off with a rather 'shy' manner when discussing such matters.
She asks me if I can possibly help her with some details on the history of a particular house - her mom and dads home and where she herself had partly grown up - adding that she has called me without their knowledge? When I reply (with more than a degree of bewilderment) 'if I possibly can….?' she completely throws me with the information that it is a place which she believes is known to me…. being my previous home! I initially thought that someone was possibly having me on at this point, but - perversely and immediately intrigued - I still instantly asked what sort of things have supposedly been going on there. She tells me of some fairly 'standard' sounding happenings (when it comes to these sorts of matters), including footsteps heard coming from upstairs and voices. I jump on the latter, asking what the voices sounded like and if anything could be heard clearly? It's bizarre to relate, given my overly sceptical outlook on paranormal matters, but I find that I'm instantly looking for a connection with either myself or the relative I lived with... I'm truly crestfallen when she says the voices heard are seemingly those of 'their own family members' who allegedly did not make the noises heard at the times they have been reported. On the same tracks, I then ask her if anything has been 'seen' in the house….. but, again, I'm told that only 'fleeting shapes' have been witnessed, or, on one occasion, a very young child seemingly saw the figure of 'a man', but was far too young to describe anything about him in detail. However, more about my thoughts on this particular angle later on.......
The conveying of these brief details takes literally a matter of seconds and I am promised an email from the girl containing further information related to presumed 'happenings' at the house. It must be said, at this point, that I am left with a sense of both bewilderment and more than a little degree of the 'anti-climax'. I find that I am instantly frustrated by the simple fact that I could make no blatant or direct connections with myself or any of my family members and the alleged activity concerned...... What had been related to me in those brief, few minutes of conversation appears to have been what I can only recognise as a standard, presumed poltergeist-like effect, quite typical of pretty much any other case currently being reported in the early 21st Century.
Come the arrival of the promised email and I am told that another family had briefly lived in the house immediately after my departure and, in the mere 12 or so months that they were there, they had experienced some rather worrying happenings. It is intimated that this activity was at least partly to blame for their subsequent departure from the house.
The current residents had taken over the property at the end of January 19__ and, by mid-February, things had already started happening. The very first occurrence to be noted happened just after midnight on Feb. 14th, when the mother of the family, seated in the living room, reports having heard crockery banging in the kitchen, as if someone were in a temper. This sound was closely followed by the kitchen door slamming shut and footsteps seemingly ascending the stairs. My confidant - we shall call her Julie - was listening to music in the front bedroom at this point in time and her mother came upstairs and into the her room in order to tell her off for making such a racket. Two other people present in the house at the time - father and sister - were fast asleep throughout. On going back downstairs to investigate the noise, the mother found herself slightly ruffled to note that the kitchen door that she had just heard 'slamming shut' was actually 'open'.
Footsteps have been heard on numerous occasions passing across the rear bedroom floor, while something akin to the 'scuffling of slippered feet' was reported in a corner of the front bedroom by Julie. Strangely the latter is only ever reported as having been detected during the evening - a sound which was also later heard by the father when he moved into the room. People using the upstairs bathroom had often mentioned hearing the sound of someone just outside the door, but, upon investigation, there was never anyone there.
The Grandmother of the family - described as someone who doesn't believe in ghosts - reports having heard an unidentified, male voice whispering in her ear in the kitchen, apparently saying a single word: 'Cold'. Other voices heard around the property appear to have been identified as those of family members, although the people concerned hadn't actually been responsible for the vocal sounds heard at the time of them being experienced. In one instance, the bedroom door was heard opening by Julies sister, followed by the sound of her Mother shouting and swearing..... The Mother wasn't even present on this occasion and is described as someone who would never swear anyway! On another occasion, Julies daughter heard her Nan calling her from outside the bedroom door - but her Grandmother was downstairs at the time and had not called out to her.
As with a lot of such cases, the movement of objects was often reported. Things are said to regularly 'go missing' and will turn up in blatantly obvious places.... A 'Simon Says' toy was found on the upstairs landing, with it's battery compartment cover removed, or dislodged, and the batteries lying nearby. It was suggested that it would have made a considerable nose if it had been thrown into this position by anyone, but, apparently, no one had touched the toy. In another instance, an 18 month old child was heard laughing over a baby monitor and, when Julie went upstairs to check, she discovered the girls favourite toy in the cot with her. The toy concerned had previously been situated on the other side of the room to the cot and the child was not able to have retrieved it by herself.
At one point, the hatch door to the loft was heard to give an 'almighty bang' with no one in it's vicinity. Everyone in the house came to investigate and found the hatch had seemingly moved in a semi-circular motion and was now ajar. The same sort of thing has apparently happened with the cistern lid of the downstairs toilet; a loud bang, followed by the discovery that it has moved and was now open.
In their time at the house, the family have gone through 5 televisions because of malfunctions. The volume of the sets has changed without being touched, channels have switched of their own volition and so on. It is said that most electrical items appear to fail or cease to function properly and lights within the house sometimes flicker and bulbs 'blow' quite often.
One of the only times that anything has been physically seen at the house was when Julies young daughter was standing in the living room, speaking to her mother, who was situated in the hallway. Suddenly, the child became very upset, tried to hide and pointed to the stairs saying 'Man, man....' over and over. At other times, people standing in the kitchen, facing the rear of the house, report having seen a figure flit across the hall doorway, via the reflection in the window. Unfortunately, this is only ever seen very quickly and fleetingly, so no real description can be given for the figure.
Ghostly Heritage - and subsequent effects?
Firstly, in light of the abovementioned data, I can only stress that myself and my relative experienced pretty much 'nothing at all' that could be construed as of a paranormal - let alone 'haunting' - nature in the 20 plus years of living at the address concerned. I had to say 'pretty much' above, as, on a couple of occasions we had smelled (what appeared to be) cigarette smoke on the stairs of the house........; only ever smelled and never seen. This had occurred while I was still a child and my relative had suggested that the smell could have somehow been related to my grandfather, who had died some years earlier from a smoking related disease. This is the only, seeming anomaly worth mentioning.
As related near the beginning of this tale: considering my somewhat cynical and sceptical outlook on alleged, ghostly matters, I had utterly surprised myself at the instant desperation I'd felt to try to somehow, personally, try to associate myself with this professed haunting! In truth - and most un-objectively - I had been greatly inspired into such thoughts by my aforementioned 'mental wandering' about the house and semi-comical thoughts of my 'haunting' the site. However, what was truly incredible to note was the emotions that this situation had instantly raised in me.... to discover that I'd been so easily bowled-over and emotionally affected by this mildly revelatory information.
for the sake of argument, I had to look at the evidence proffered objectively and as neutrally as possible and consider whether anything did indeed seem to directly 'tie in' with my time at the property? Of course - as with most reported poltergeist activity - the happenings experienced are wholly neutral and ambiguous at best when trying to find any form of focus or focal point. Footsteps, vague voices and fleeting, shadowy forms do not lend themselves to much of anything, of course. Of the little data revealed to me some aspects 'could have' been potentially pertinent - 'banging crockery', for instance, was a common enough feature..... It had become an angry habit of my relative to grab a pile of plates , kept stacked on the work surface and manually (albeit gently) crash them onto the surface concerned when agitated. Doors slamming and stair stamping was also a common enough habit at times too. Of all of the things mentioned, however, the loft hatch was of particular interest to me, as I'd long used this spot as a hidey-hole for anything that I'd not wanted my relative to see (ahem!) and so the hatch had been constantly manipulated - opened, move to the side and so on - and, usually, allowed to slam shut afterwards...... Again - none of the above could be construed as definitive or concrete in any possible way with regards to my time at the house, but, at best, were recognised features of life there.
Slipping into the subject of 'ghostlore' itself now, it has to be said that 'phantoms of the living' - e.g. the ghosts of living people - are long said to be a recognised and much underestimated aspect of the field. Without going into such things, there are a number of seemingly impressive cases on file, the world over.... One such 'local', reported instance concerns a husband and wife who, after moving into a new house, kept seeing the ghost of a man walk into their living room. Some while on, they happened to visit a TV repair shop in a nearby town and, to their horror and amazement, their 'ghost' was the exact double of the proprietor of the business in question. On tentatively mentioning this matter, the man concerned revealed that he used to live in their house and often thought about the place, as he had happy memories of his time there! Another of the regions most famous ghost sightings - that of a girl in 70's costume, spotted fleetingly outside the Four Feathers Hotel in Ludlow - was said to be the apparition of a living woman and so on. Some so-called authorities have, in the past, gone as far as saying that more apparitions of living than dead people are seen - though this is, of course a totally unfounded observation and carries little weight in the grand scheme of things.
With regards to the actual 'mechanics' of 'living ghosts' - this is, needless to say, a matter of complete conjecture. However, it has been suggested that strong feelings or an overwhelming attachment for a particular place could possibly instigate such an effect - the day-dreamers state of mind somehow 'projecting' an impression onto the fabric of the place being thought of and so on. As mentioned previously in this waffling, I'd long visited my old house in my mind and literally 'wished myself' onto the property, mainly as a form of angry protest...... Couple such suggestions with a more traditional idea for how some of the more traditional styles of haunting are possibly born: the theory of 'heightened emotions' or abnormally born, psychological imprint, leaving a lasting impression on a property? While a completely unfounded theory, this notion seems to have been a firm favourite with a lot of researchers over the decades.... the thought that - for example - the trauma caused by a murderous act could be somehow recorded onto the very fabric of the place concerned and, at times, under certain circumstances, be replayed back to frequently unwilling recipients!!??
Conjecture again, plain and simple, but should either - or both - of the above ideas have any form of foundation in this field..... well, the latter years of my time at the house (and afterwards, of course) were absolutely filled with lashings of both - to an overwhelming degree, in fact!
Sadly - after all of the above has been said - I have to simply leave this matter here, un-finished as it is, with no tidy endings or creaseless seams. Here is the very nature of these things, however, and it is only paranormal fiction, delusion or wishful thinking that such matters become 'rounded off' or 'finished to a high shine' with confirmatory, historical detail. Laugh! Simply, the matter of the fact here is that, despite my cynicism for traditional thoughts on paranormal subject, it's ironic to note that a case which (albeit involves yours truly at a mere 2nd-hand-level) should clearly contain aspects that 'could' certainly point towards more traditional and basic ghostly-theories...... Laugh!!!
*Case 2 - Haunted Homes:
Of these encounters, John says:
When I was about 6 years old, one of my teeth came out one day and so put it under my pillow, hoping for a nice, shiny 'sixpence' to take it's place!! However, the next morning, the tooth was still there.... as we were quite poor, you see. My Mom and I had cause to pop to my aunts - which was 5 doors away - via the back entrance to the house and, on my way back up our yard, I happened to look up at my bedroom window and saw a little girl looking out, from the side of the curtain.... As our eyes met, she quickly pulled the curtain across to hide herself from my gaze! I automatically thought at the time that this was probably the 'Tooth Fairy'.... come to take my recently dislodged incisor! Naturally, I freaked out a little and told my mom what I'd just seen. (She had been with me at the time, but didn't see the girl, as it had all happened so quickly!) On entering the house, she had taken me upstairs, to my bedroom, to show me that no one was there, and so, there nothing for me to be possibly scared of..... Needless to say, the house was completely empty when we made out check of the premises. As a slight digression, I can't actually remember if the sixpence was indeed there afterwards, or whether I ever - later - got paid for it !? Laugh!
While I can't really recall anything else happening to me in particular at that address, my mom once told me of the time when she found she simply had no money left in her purse to buy any tea for the family. It had been a Thursday - and my dad got paid on Thursdays..... and he was a man who liked his tea on the table after a hard days work! He could be a funny bugger if it wasn't ready for him, as he was a quite old fashioned soul. My mom was both upset and worried at what he might say; there wasn't just my dad to take care of, as she had 3 kids to feed too!
And so, on to yet another, nearby, address in Temple Road, Willenhall..... a home that the family had moved to when I was 8 years old. I can't accurately remember when things started happening in this house, but there was an old lady named Mrs. White who rang up just after we had moved in and told my mom that she wished she had never left the house, as she liked it there so much. Due to this, we put all the subsequent 'happenings' down to her presence in the property.......
On occasion, we would all be sitting in the living room - all 5 of us, Mom, Dad, myself Brother and Sister - and we would suddenly hear the cupboard doors shutting in the kitchen. At first, we would all look at each other, as if to say "You go and have a look!!"..... but this eventually came to happen so often, on average once a week, we eventually took no notice of it! (That was, unless you were on our own in the house and then I used to be terrified!!). The back door to the property used to open and close of it's own accord too, when we would all be situated in the living room.....
The one night, my brother had come in from the pub and started to watch telly.... and a weird noise suddenly started to come from the fire place!? It wasn't at all windy that night, but the sound got louder and louder and, when he left the room, it stopped; but, every time he came back in, it had started-up again! I remember him saying he'd got a knife out of the kitchen drawer before he went to bed.... but what he was going to do with that if it were a 'ghost', God alone only knows!?!? Laugh!!!
The one day, I was sitting upstairs watching a thunder storm. I was completely on my own in the house at the time and, suddenly, an old rocking chair in my bedroom started to rock of it's own accord!! I could clearly see it's movement out of the corner of my eye..... so I just took to my heels and fled down stairs!
It was during the modernisation of the council house in the 70's -probably about 1974/5 - that things really started to 'hot up'! The one time, my newly fitted bedroom door opened on it's own 3 times - even though I'd got out of bed following the 1st time to make sure the latch had actually clicked into place. I even tugged at the door, after the 2nd time, to make sure it was locked.... but, as soon as I got into bed, it opened again! The very same thing had happened to my brother that night and he shared the bedroom with me.
On another occasion, my Sister saw a plastic bag - which was situated on top of the fridge - 'lift up' and 'come towards her'.... Her instant reaction was to 'scream the house down' and the family dog had run down to the bottom of the garden and wouldn't come back inside!
We used to have a full glass door in the living room and we all, very often, used to see something 'white' go past it up stairs out, of the corner of our eye.....
When my Dad passed away 3 years ago, my mom decided she wouldn't stay at the house any longer, due to too many memories of the past and such. By this point in time, of course, we (the kids) had all grown up and were leading our own lives. Things at the address had apparently settled down within the last ten years or so, but Mom did still report the occasional occurrence, such as getting 'poked in the back', which had woken her up and so on. When my Mom went to live with my brother temporarily - until she got her new house sorted out - it fell to me to go and lock the house up for the night and I don't mind admitting that I would be a nervous wreck - having to just go inside and draw the curtains!! Something just didn't feel right in there? It also transpired that my mothers neighbour also saw a ghost in their back garden..... and so had the people at another, close address.
I must stress that the Temple Road incidents were going on 'all the time' when we were growing up.... and not just a matter of several times. However, once we - the resident children - got to the age of 18-ish, things had started to settle down from then on. I often wonder how the new occupants are getting on, as my dad had also passed away there too.... although he wouldn't hurt a fly. He was a very old fashioned man, but a very kind one......
When I got married in 1985, I moved into a property in Dursley Close, Willenhall. While asleep one night, around 3 a.m., my wife and I awoke to a really loud 'bang' from under the bed! The noise had been so violent, the bed had actually, physically shook! Rising, I had instantly walked the house, but couldn't find a single thing out of place? Approx 6 months later, again in the early hours, whilst we were asleep, we experienced an event as if someone was situated 'inside' the built in wardrobes.... frantically banging their fists on the doors and trying to get out! Once again, I immediately investigated the disturbance, but couldn't find any explanation for the experience......
Once, I was playing snooker with my 6 year old son in the living room and had potted the white ball in one of the far pockets... About a second later, the ball concerned 'jumped out' of the pocket - entirely under it's own volition - and back onto the table!! Thankfully, my son, being so young, just laughed at the incident....."
*Case 3 - The Story of a 'Haunted House'......
A Somewhat 'Rare' Perspective: 'Researcher' As 'Victim'.
Introduction:
No one can explain, why these "happenings" actually occur, they just do, very randomly, and at times when we least expect. Months can actually go by without incident. Initially, in the first year of residence at the property, although the "odd" happening did crop up, as a family we didn't really stand up and take that much notice. It was only when the events became increasingly regular with actual "sightings" witnessed, that we finally realised "something was amiss" and from then on, observed the situation with a much more critical eye, meanwhile trying our best to remain impartial, objective and practical along the way.
I am now very thankful it was at this point, I decided to document the dates, times and details, as and when something out of the ordinary should arise. As a result I have now kept a "diary" which is now quite comprehensive, thankfully both acting as a "memory jogger" and a valid source of information, helping with my unsuccessful attempts to identify any patterns or trends.
As strange as it seems, as the years go by, as a consequence of the sheer amount of "Incidents" experienced, no matter how bizarre they may be, we do still forget certain things that may be of importance i.e. the time and date, sometimes even the incident itself!
The irony is that, Claire and myself both being members of the West Midlands Ghost Club, as part of the course, we always remain objective and rational on our investigations, and yet we are finding the events at home, much more inexplicable and perplexing than that on most actual investigations.
Many people do not believe in Ghosts and the paranormal, and to be honest, I feel, it is only those, who have experienced such things, that can truly appreciate and empathise with others experiencing similar kinds of events. As a family we are not attention seekers, delusional, naive or gullible and definitely do not hold any hidden agenda's. I fully realise the attention and sometimes ridicule this type of thing can attract, and its only now at this point, that our experiences have been relayed outside of the group itself. Up until now, the West Midlands Ghost Club have monitored the events respectfully, and due to its very random nature, the events have always been treated as an ongoing "pet project," for the group, it makes sense, that in this muddled, conflicting, theory clogged world of the paranormal, a true and honest account, of what may be a "haunted house or family", should be given, for visitors to the West Midlands Ghost Club website to view and make up their own minds.
As far as I know, there is no "cut and dried" evidence to suggest what "Ghosts" actually are, or what kind of catalyst triggers these occurrences off, but the house and my family seem to be doing something. And the more we experience, the more we are baffled. Although the odd, unsettling moment arises now and again, the atmosphere of the house has generally always been warm and welcoming. Quite frankly, both Claire and I would not bring our children up in any environment that we feel would be threatening or psychologically damaging. Thankfully the children have never been really fazed by these incidents, and have always maturely accepted the fact, that these things seem to happen and that "Ghosts" are not things really to be scared of, (easier said than done at times I must admit), and thankfully the incidents have often happened too quickly to be fully distressing to them. Anyone wishing to visit the house would surely be disappointed, it is just a standard unremarkable modern semi detached, and we are just a standard modern family that remarkable things seem to happen around us, now and again, but never on demand.
Please see the following examples of the differing incidents documented throughout our time at the property.
The following is an account of the most significant. I have gone into greater detail with the more bizarre occurrences.
Happenings over the years:
Cold draughts, Footsteps, Feelings of being touched.
Knocks, bangs, rapping's (once lasting at random points throughout the whole night and some time into the morning, never to reoccur again, the knocks at the time, seemed to respond to my movements, stopping when getting out of bed to investigate.)
Regular, very loud crashes and the sound of someone "messing around" from various points within the house and on investigation, nothing actually found out of place, (this occasionally still happens virtually up to date.)
Lighting and other electrical appliances turned on and off, and other electrical related irregularities. (Of course this may not be of paranormal origin, but it needs to be noted.)
Disembodied male and female voices heard by various family members, occasionally heard calling members by their actual names, and twice, two voices heard as if in conversation, coming from the kitchen.
Growling, hissing, and other animal-like noises heard. Thankfully most of this was only heard in the early period of the activity.
Twice, that we know of, things have gone missing to be found in both an odd inaccessible places and also in the spot they were initially lost, many months later.
The family on returning home once found an ornamental figure on the floor in the back room, it had moved from its original spot around 7ft and not broken.
A tall figure (possibly cloaked) as been witnessed in total over the four year span, around 27 different times by all the family and a guest in different parts of the house, however it has appeared mostly in the kitchen and the area of the stairs. It seems to follow the contours of the house, i.e. moving through doorways and up the staircase. Claire once encountered the shape, in the kitchen and it physically drained her energy, for some reason? This type of apparition has also been seen by the next door neighbour in their own house.
A small black/grey shape, approx 3ft high, usually quite quick moving has also been seen numerous times in various parts of the house by the family and a guest.
A little girl has been witnessed on a few occasions, once by my youngest son who saw "her" (if it is in fact the same little girl image) in the doorway of my daughters bedroom, in negative effect. i.e. Black with white contours and creases, from what he could make out, she
appeared in Victorian dress?
Two different little boys have been seen, on different occasions one with an old fashioned basin haircut, the other in modern fashion, the way we used to dress our eldest lad in the late eighties/early nineties.
A bald, smooth skinned, disembodied head has been witnessed by two guests, members of the West Midlands Ghost Club simultaneously in my front room, both parties were very distressed and shaken, I myself was present and saw nothing. Independently to this, Claire has also seen
what looked like a "head" on two separate occasions in the same vicinity.
Men and lady images and partial representations have also been seen by two of my daughters, on many separate occasions now. These seems to be no uniformity in their dress or appearance, and from documented experiences, seem to be the only images who may be interpreted, as trying to communicate, by their actions and facial expressions.
Strangely a "lady" that appears just like Claire in a night gown, and a figure that has been mistaken for my youngest son in his house coat, have been seen by my daughter's three times separately in different parts of the house, the "real" members of the family where in other parts of the house when these incidents occurred, dressed differently.
Objects have "fallen" a few times, too far from where they were originally situated. And objects have actually been witnessed in mid flight on separate occasions. One object would have had to be unhooked off the wall to fall, but its trajectory appeared to move as if thrown i.e. moving in a straight line witnessed by Claire and my daughter. The other was a bouncy ball "forcefully thrown" into the kitchen when Claire was actually in there, nobody else was actually home, apart from my youngest daughter who was asleep at the time in the front room. It came from the direction of the adjoining room.
My youngest son once saw a pink "potato" shaped light with a black outer lining; appear near the ceiling of the kitchen. This slowly moved downwards then disappeared totally near the floor. On closer inspection, a needle and thread were found on the floor in close proximity to where the "light" appeared. The sewing box is kept out of arms length on top of the fridge, if indeed this is where it would originate from. No one had cause to use the needle that day and the kitchen had been cleaned fully many times since the last time the box had been opened. The thread attached to the needle was not an exact match to the threads in the sewing box and of course, may in fact, not be related to the light.
A fork was dangerously put inside the toaster, the strange thing about this was my eldest son was the only person present, and had just removed the first made pieces of toast and was in the process of putting in another piece of bread. The placement of the fork must have
literally occurred in seconds between these actions.
Once on returning to the empty house, all framed photographs on a low cupboard had all been "placed" face down.
Once on returning to the empty house, washing up liquid had been found in the kettle.
On returning home to an empty house, duvets and bedclothes had been removed from two beds, in separate bedrooms, and left in disarray on the floor. Both were previously made. Approximately 10 minutes later, after the beds were remade, I noticed a cuddly toy that previously lay on the floor, was now placed on my bed. Claire had remade the beds and had not put this toy on the bed. Everybody else present was actually situated downstairs and during this time, hadn't ventured up the stairs.
A matchbox car (above) was found, placed on top of the bedroom wardrobe, completely in line with the edge of the wardrobe front, on its back with wheels in the air. Claire and my three year old daughter were the only people within the house, and my daughter had last been playing with it at 4.00pm until her bath time at 4.30.The car was actually discovered at 6pm when the rest of the family returned. A similar incident also occurred with a square money box, balanced precariously on the edge of a desk.
Eldest son witnessed a "pair of ladies legs" wearing white woollen socks and a "bit of a piece of skirt" walking up the stairs, a short distance away from him, on reaching the top of the stairs they moved towards the bedrooms. All the girls were asleep and no one in the household actually wears clothes of this type. This is the first time I have witnessed a member of my family get physically angry over an incident of this nature, my son demanding an explanation, of which of course, he never got.
Claire on returning from dropping the kids to school was the only person in the house, on moving to the kitchen, she found the washing machine in the centre of the room. This was in its usual place at the time of leaving the house. The machine had never moved before, and
vibration as a cause has been ruled out due to its weight and the fact, the machine was not switched on at the time.
March 17th 2008 Update:
Following on from the last update, here are details of some of the recent occurrences within the house starting from October 2007 up to present day, complete with the dates and times.
16th October 2007 Approx 5.00pm:
Claire on being the only person in the vicinity of the Kitchen area, witnesses a tall black shape/figure moving quickly from the entrance of the back room doorway, down along the hallway to the front door, before disappearing.
18th October 2007 7.25pm:
14th November 2007 Approx 5.30pm:
Claire situated in the front room, no one else present. On momentarily moving across the room to the television, to turn the channel over, then returning immediately to her original position, Claire notices a "card" belonging to our son lying on the floor in the middle of the room nearby. This had initially gone missing, many days previous and had not been seen since up until this point despite thorough searches. We have no explanation of how the card ended up in this position.
18th November 2007 Approx 3.30pm:
Steve coming down the ladders from the loft can see a shadow of someone moving around being cast over the floor through the open front bedroom door, from a source out of view. At the time, nothing more was thought about this, it was only on realisation that no other members of the family were actually upstairs at the time, that this occurrence was actually noted.
29th November 2007 Approx 10 am:
Claire had just finished mopping the kitchen floor; the door leading to the back room was closed, as were all windows at the time. On approaching the stairs a few moments later from leaving the area, a loud crashing sound could be heard coming from the kitchen. (Very reminiscent to the sound of multiple plates falling on to a hard surface.) On immediate examination, nothing at first appeared found out of place. On walking back out of the kitchen however, Claire notices the lid of a tightly vacuum sealed coffee tin, now lying flat and perfectly straight, wedged between the wall and an iron placed on the cooker in a "Bridge" shape. (See photo left) The lid was in perfect alignment and couldn't be easily replicated, when attempted. There was no temperature change noted and Claire was alone in the house at the time of the incident. The coffee tin is usually situated approximately 1 foot from the place it was found, wedged against the wall.
15th December 2007 9.45 am:
12th January 2008 11am and 8.15pm:
On two separate occasions, the sound of "something" moving around upstairs is heard by Steve and Claire, at times when nobody is actually up there. On immediate investigation, nothing is found out of place.
12th January 2008 Approx 2.20pm:
My youngest daughter aged 4 was upstairs in front bedroom, everybody else in the downstairs front room, back room and kitchen areas. After a while she started screaming hysterically. On investigation she was found cowering in the corner of the front bedroom crying uncontrollably. On eventually calming down, she stated that someone in the room was talking to her, although nobody was actually there. At the time she couldn't confirm if it was a male or female voice. It took a while for my daughter to recover from this.
20th January 2008 Approx 11.45pm:
Claire was sleeping in the back bedroom with my youngest daughter as she was at that time, still unsettled from the previously mentioned incident. Claire couldn't sleep and got the impression she was being watched, a few moments later she could hear what sounded like footfalls at the side of the bed ( this is a wooden floor) and a deep "male" sounding breathing. No one else was actually present and Claire was too frightened to move at the time. Fortunately my daughter slept through this.
Steve in front bedroom hears loud bang coming from the direction of the wall separating the back bedroom. This occurred twice again, minutes later, this time it was more metallic in its tone, similar to something metallic being moved /dragged. On immediate inspection, nothing was found out of place. Claire actually being in the back bedroom, did not hear these sounds and could only confirm the details of the previously mentioned incidents.
21st January Approx 3.55pm:
Daughter aged 6 in the downstairs back room reported being "stroked" on the head.
21st January Approx 4.20pm:
Claire in the hall hears loud male voice coming from the direction of the front room. My son was the only male present in the house at the time and happened to be in the upstairs back bedroom with the door closed. The television was also switched off. Unfortunately no specific words could be made out.
23rd February Approx 4.30pm:
During a visit from Steve's parents, photographs were taken in the front room. Later on, on viewing all the photographs' taken, on one of them, a black "shape" had been picked up, reflected on the television screen from an unknown source. The television incidentally was not switched on at the time. The shape is seen clearly (See photo below) and appears in front of a white painted door. Attempts to recreate the image have proved unsuccessful. All present were actually seated and no one detected anything out of the ordinary at the time. The image appears upright.
25th February Approx 8.35am:
My youngest daughter was alone in the kitchen and again, like the previously mentioned incident on the 12th January, she started crying out hysterically. Claire and my other daughter aged 6, were the only other people in the house at the time. On immediate investigation my daughter was found in a fearful state, later stating. "He was here with me, talking to me again!"
As I have stated before, none of my family have ever been prone to disorders or are particularly susceptible to hallucinations of any kind. After this incident, I must admit, I was very close to "giving up" my involvement in paranormal investigation as an whole. Firstly, because of the general climate of scepticism on these matters getting to me, when seeing my nearest and dearest in turmoil, over things that according to some, are just tricks of our imagination and don't exist. This just does not sit right with me and quite frankly at times angers me. And secondly, I acknowledge that whatever it is, triggering these incidents into action, I have absolutely no control over. This last incident leaving me at a loss of just what I can physically do to resolve, what is now turning out to be, a situation that is having a detrimental affect on my youngest.
7th March 2008 6.40pm:
Steve walking across the kitchen hears the sound of something "plastic" hitting the floor. On turning sees a fridge magnet roll across the floor. On replication, vibration ruled out at this stage as the magnetism was very strong and needed to be physically removed to dislodge from the fridge door and there was no actual contact with the door at the time. No one else in the vicinity during this.
16th July 2008 Update
Son in the bathroom, heard what sounded like a little child calling out, but couldn't make out any specific words. All the younger members of the family were asleep at this point. The bathroom door and bedroom doors were also all closed at the time, blocking out any potential noise from the bedrooms. On immediate inspection of the outside proximity, attempts to find the source of this noise also proved fruitless. At the time it was pointed out that cats and vixen's sometimes make noises that may sometimes bear a resemblance to human vocal sounds, but this was discounted due to the fact these external noises have been heard on occasions previously and didn't really match, also the "sound" seemed to have a familiar cadence and pattern which seemed to originate from the room itself, although weak and distant.
Tuesday 25th March 2008 6.30 pm Approx:
Steve being the only person upstairs, on walking out the front bedroom heard a loud crash (reminiscent to multiple objects falling over) coming from the front bedroom behind him. On immediate inspection, nothing was found out of place.
Wednesday 2nd April 2008 12.15am Approx:
Everybody in the house was asleep at the time. The youngest son, Claire and Steve (to a lesser degree) were all woken by a very loud crash coming from somewhere within the house downstairs. The family dog also reacted to this, barking uncontrollably. On immediate investigation, nothing was found out of place inside and also outside, within the front and back gardens.
Wednesday 2nd April 2008 7.35 pm Approx:
Steve was in the kitchen, everybody else was at the time situated in the downstairs front room. One of the younger daughters on facing the front room doorway leading on to the hall witnessed a "black shape" move past the doorway in the hall way, moving in the direction of the downstairs back room. No one else happened to be looking in this direction at the time.
Wednesday 2nd April 2008 7.45 pm Approx:
Steve in the kitchen saw a "black human shaped figure" move into the kitchen from the back room, to move towards the outside back door. Although it was witnessed in the periphery of his vision, it was a very "strong" image none the less. No one else at the time was in the immediate vicinity and Steve got the impression the "shape" appeared not to be cloaked (unlike previous, similar sightings of such shapes.) Up until now, corner of the eye sightings have not usually been noted due to the probabilities of this being simply tricks of the light and other errors of judgment, but due to the clarity of image, on this occasion, it is felt this incident should be highlighted.
Thursday 10th April 2008 10.45 pm Approx:
Steve in the front bedroom, heard a sound (reminiscent to scampering footfalls) coming from the upstairs landing area. On immediate inspection (whilst thinking it might be one of the younger children) nothing was found out of place and every member of the household were still all asleep in their respective beds.
Thursday 10th April 2008 10.50 pm Approx:
Steve in the front bedroom hears a dull thud. This was initially ignored, but was soon followed by a very loud rattling sound (reminiscent to somebody rummaging through a group of objects.) The noise came from the direction of the landing. (Coincidentally at that time, there did happen to be a box of toys kept in this vicinity.) The younger son in the back bedroom also heard the noises, actually being woken up by this sound. Everybody else remained asleep throughout the whole incident.
Tuesday 20th May 2008 6.30 pm:
Claire in the bathroom, bathing the younger children, briefly sees a figure all in white, on the landing (approx 4ft away). Although on this occasion it was quite a fleeting sighting, Claire could see the brightness in total contrast to the surrounding darkened landing behind it and also got the impression the shape was in fact a girl. Everybody else happened to be downstairs at the time.
Friday 11th July 2008 8.25 pm:
Claire and the younger daughter were sitting in the downstairs front room facing the doorway leading to the hall way, both reported hearing a sound (reminiscent to somebody "messing around") in the downstairs toilet. Claire then noticed the shadow of movement coming from under the closed door. On immediate inspection, the room was empty with no one else being in the area at the time.
Sunday 13th July 2008 11.15 am Approx:
Steve walking along the landing area heard a noise reminiscent to" somebody messing around" coming from the boys back bedroom. Because the door happened to be already wide open, Steve had a very good view of the room and remained in the doorway observing while the noises continued for a few more moments longer before coming to a stop. There was nothing visible throughout this episode, and Steve was at a loss to explain what could have made such distinct sounds. Everybody else at this time happened to be situated downstairs and in the garden.
TUESDAY 12th August 2008 8.15PM:
The two youngest daughters situated in the downstairs front room. On looking in the direction of the doorway leading to the hallway, the elder of the two noticed a "figure" all in white, draped in something that appeared to look like a curtain type effect, covering the whole of the form. The shape moved past the doorway very quickly in the direction of the front door and was Approximately 6ft in height . The other daughter situated in the room, happened to be facing the other way and was unaware of this. Nobody else within the household happened to be in this vicinity at the time. (It is interesting to note that over the last couple of weeks leading up to this date, there have been a number of "corner of the eye" sightings in the same area of the hallway, usually dark in colour, although Claire recently reported "half-seeing" what looked like a child in white, move from the front doorway, travelling in the direction of the back room. Unfortunately no date or time was recorded for this incident.)
TUESDAY 7th August 2008 8.00PM Approx:
Claire in the downstairs dining room, witnesses a very fleeting "figure," approximately 3ft in height, move down the hallway towards her. Claire stated it was cream coloured, translucent and in the short time it was present, looked like a small boy. The shape disappeared at the dining room entrance, connecting to the hall. Everybody else within the household happened to be situated upstairs in varying rooms at the time.
The eldest daughter situated on the upstairs landing, hears the sound of 3 consecutive "knocks" (reminiscent to someone knocking the door) coming from the girls bedroom window, approx 8ft away in distance. The daughter was visibly shaken by this because the sound was reasonably loud in volume. Steve happened to be in a nearby bedroom and heard nothing out of the ordinary, when advised of this occurrence. Everybody else within the household happened to be situated downstairs in the front room at the time. Steve had not made any sounds at the time and the possibility of sound travelling from downstairs as been ruled out due to all relevant doors being closed at the time. Nobody was actually at the front door.
11th October 2008 10.10AM:
The youngest son situated in the kitchen, facing the outside door at the time, turned around to start a conversation with Claire (who he assumed was nearby) and witnessed a "figure" move into the dining room from the hallway. The figure was totally black with head and shoulders quite well defined. The body however, seemed to be a "column." On immediate investigation, the room was empty. The figure was slim and approx 6ft in height. Everybody else within the household happened to be situated upstairs at the time.
End.