I Stand a Ghost of a Chance

This house is fascinating. Huge, with rooms that go on and on. It's been deserted by living people for a long time too, which makes it perfect for this investigation. Lately, people in the neighborhood have heard strange sounds and seen flashing lights in the windows, and a few have glimpsed people-shaped shadows on the lawn that should not be there. So we at Anomalous Investigations have come out here and set up our equipment. I'm very excited to see what we capture!

But even before the investigation is ready to begin, I get a surprise.

"This is my cousin Ian," our director, Larry, explains, leading the most gorgeous hunk of a man I have ever seen over to stand in front of me. He's tall, with blue eyes and dark auburn hair, and.."Pleased to meet you," he says, sticking out his hand, and there's this accent!

"He's from Ireland," Larry interjects, "and he's a certified investigator there. He's going to join us tonight."

Ohh..! I give myself a little shake. You're a certified investigator, too, I chide myself. You've been on dozens of investigations. Act like a pro!

"Pleased to meet you," I return vigorously, almost but not quite meeting Ian's eyes and ignoring the electricity as we shake hands.

"Let's get started," Larry says. "It's going to be a great investigation!"

As we enter the house, the hair on the back of my neck and my arms stands on end. This whole place is electric, which is odd since there is, in fact, no power hooked up anywhere except through the extension cords we've run to the generator we brought with us for our equipment. I know the place is active right away. And I hear several other invsstigators exclaim as cameras start going off, people catching sight of shadows from the corner of their eyes, a few complaining about dead batteries already.

"Why don't you take Ian with you, Cathy? Go to the parlor; there's supposed to be a lot of activity there."

I gulp slightly, but answer brightly, "Sure! Come on, Ian!" and he amiably takes my arm and we proceed into the parlor.

There is no light, but my eyes quickly adjust to the dark so that i can see fairly clearly: the fireplace, a dilapidated old sofa where I proceed to gingerly sit, the beautiful man who settles there next to me..um..I distinctly hear a giggle.

"Did you hear that?" I quickly say, glad our tape recorders are already on. "Yes," Ian replies rapidly. "That was most definitely a female giggle."

I'm feeling some definite temperature fluctuations, too, but I don't mention them because I'm fairly certain these hot and cold flashes have nothing to do with the paranormal. I am catching Ian glancing at me, as well, with more frequency than one would expect, given that strange, dark shadows are popping up in nearly every corner. We aim our cameras, say "Flash!" and shoot in opposite directions. Then we begin asking questions;

"Who is here with us tonight? Did you live here? We mean you no harm; just want to talk to you a bit." Then we wait, to give them a chance to answer.

Ian leans forward and his arm brushes mine. I shiver, and I tell myself it is the ghost activity I am reacting to.

"We have heard that a young couple here was newly wed and very happy, and then were both taken by sudden fever and died. Is that couple here?"

Again, we hear a giggle, and then we HEAR two voices say softly, "Yesssss..."

My heart nearly stops. Please let the recorder be getting this.

"Are you together?" I ask. "Yesss..." Comes the reply.

"Are you unhappy?" We hear an emphatic "No!"

Wow. This is amazing. Ian grips my arm. I almost forget the astonishing conversation. Wait..we're talking to ghosts!

"Do you want to leave?" "No..." we hear on a breath. "Happy..."

"You're happy here together?" Ian asks, and the reply comes again, on a breathy sound.."Yessss."

Then the conversation ends abruptly, although we hear another faint giggle and a deeper sound of laughter. We ask several more questions and then we sit quietly for a few minutes.

"Let's just talk to each other for a few minutes," says Ian. "Sometimes they will respond to our conversation, I find."

"I find that, too," I agree. "So, how long have you been in America?"

"About a week. I'm moving here, got a new job teaching at the University."

My heart unaccountably leaps at this news. I've nearly forgotten where we are.

"Did you leave a girlfriend back in Ireland?" I ask lightly.

Was that a faint giggle again?

"No," Ian replied. "No girlfriend. How about you? Are you married?"

"No," I answer. "I had a boyfriend for a long time, but we broke up almost a year ago."

"Ah," Ian says, and no more, but I feel..something..pass between the two of us that is stronger than the psychic vibes the spirits are giving off, and those are pretty strong in this house.

"Well.." I say, clearing my throat,"I guess if you spirits have nothing more to say, we better move on to another room."

No sound. I said that because if we don't move to another room I'm going to forget I'm a professional in a very active location and blow this investigation by not paying attention to the most interaction I've ever experienced.

We go out into the hallway, where we encounter Larry, who takes Ian off with him to investigate the attic, and I proceed to the kitchen, where I am able to conduct EVP and photo sessions with my friend Alaina with my usual aplomb.

Everybody has caught photos everywhere, and heard small sounds, footsteps..at one point books on the shelves in the library actually moved from the shelves and hovered. There is no question in anyone's mind that this house is actively haunted. But now it's time to call it a day and head back to the hotel to review the evidence.

Ian catches up to me on the lawn and walks to the house with me, and I think his hands linger on my arms a bit longer than necessary as he helps me up into the van, but we say nothing to each other on the way to the hotel, listening to the others babble and the air crackle between us.

When we begin to sift the evidence, it's Larry, Alaina, Ian and I. Ian is watching the video; I'm looking at the photos from some of our cameras; Alaina and Larry are listening to audio and exclaiming over sounds that were captured, mostly sighs and footsteps from the quiet conversation as they mark the spots on the tape. I have found so many photos that look paranormally significant..dark shapes in doorways that block the light especially. It's what every investigator dreams of finding, and nearly no investigator ever does. Ian, too, is exclaiming at fleeting figures on the video, and even a glimpse of what appears to be a red dress disappearing through a doorway with no figure in it.

Suddenly Alaina begins to laugh. She laughs so hard she is gasping for breath, pulling the headphones from her ears.

"What is going on?!" I exclaim as Larry and Ian look on with raised eyebrows.

"This is for you two to hear.." she gasps. "It's definitely not for us.."

She hands the headphones to me, and attaches another pair for Ian. Then she whispers to Larry, who starts to grin, waiting his turn to listen.

This is from our time in the parlor. We captured all the answers we got, the giggles, the yes's and no's, the happy, and it's awesome. But then when we stop talking to the ghosts and start talking to each other, there is another whole, soft but very clear conversation, a male and female voice, which can only be heard on the tape.

"Ah, that's right, you two," says a male voice, "Got better things to do than talk to we spirits.."

"Yes," comes a giggly female voice,"I'd not be looking for us with that fine man beside me, m'lady."

And then, after our brief conversation about being single,

"Well, there you have it then..and you caught us, you did...so now, stop yer playin' around..and kiss the girl."

We look at each other is absolute shock, and then Ian starts to grin, and I begin to laugh.

"We couldn't have done that during an investigation! That would have been completely unprofessional!" I exclaim.

"Aye," says Ian thoughtfully, "but the investigation is over now. And I could use a break, I could.'

"Yes indeed," laughs Larry, who has been listening as we speak. "You do both need a break, right now, I think."

And so we step out into the hall, still laughing at the most unusual evidence we have ever heard.

"What was that last bit they said?" asks Ian.

"Kiss the girl," I say a bit breathlessly, looking up at him.

"Well," said Ian, "You got to move when the spirit says move.."

And he grabs me to him, puts his arms around me, and does, indeed, kiss this girl most thoroughly. And then again for good measure.

I think what a great team we make, and hope for the future is blossoming. And I hear that house is for sale..