The Room

Forward

         

My stories are all from within the boundaries of my mind and imagination.  Some are based on ideas I get when I am bored, or as a way to explain events that occur.  There are some, however, that are based on true events that I have personally experienced.  Such is the case with this story.  It is loosely based on a friend's house in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia.  There is a room within the house that contains an entity that has given me a sense of dread each time I stepped foot in there.  The descriptions in the story are fairly accurate, but the true location and the name of my friend will be changed for privacy reasons, and out of respect to the home's owner.  This entity is very real, and is one of the more frightening I have experienced.  Now, if you will step inside my mind, we will begin the tale...

The Room

         

I have always enjoyed a good drive through the country, and today was no exception.  I was driving from Leesburg, Virginia to Shepherdstown, West Virginia, and it was a wonderful late summer day in September.  Autumn is only a few days away, and not long after that the leaves will be changing.  It takes about an hour to get to Shepherdstown from my house, but it is an amazingly scenic drive.  My belly growls in hunger, and I can almost smell the dinner being prepared for me by Danielle.

Danielle is a woman I met through the social circles, and after some e-mails and texts we started going out and getting to know each other.  Danielle is from England, and the accent hooked me instantly.  She works for the town government, and our first date consisted of a walking tour of the town, and ended with dinner, and another walk along the Potomac River, holding hands.  We took things slow, and got to become friends as the romantic feelings started to grow.  Tonight is the first night that she has invited me to her home, and we are going to sit down to a home cooked meal that she is preparing.  It is nice feeling where I am at this stage of things with Danielle.  Hopefully, neither of us blows it.

         Luckily, I remember where a place is once I have been there.  I dropped her off at her front door one night after a date, but I still plugged the address into my GPS, just in case.  She lives on the main street just as you reach town limits.  One extra landmark is her white SUV, and as I approach the house, I see her vehicle parked along the street.  I find an open spot just a bit further up the street and parallel park. A short walk later I am standing in front of Danielle's home, and take in the view.

    Danielle's house is similar to most of the others on her street.  With the exception of the house next door, all the lots are narrow but long.  Danielle warned me that her house was a true "fixer-upper" and needed a lot of work.  From the outside, it looked fine.  It needs powerwashed and a fresh coat of paint, but otherwise, it was a cute, albeit very old, two level home.  I knocked on the door, and instantly her dog was on the other side barking menacingly.  I laughed a bit.  Animals like me so, hopefully, it wouldn't be long before it accepted me.  Danielle opened the door, and welcomed me in while holding back a very excited German Shepherd mix.

    "Don't mind Tory, she's just a bit excited to have a guest.  Come in, come in” Her British accent made my feet move a bit quicker.

    I stepped in, and closed the door behind me.  Her house was warm and inviting, but I could now see why she said it was a "fixer-upper".  It was in a state of disrepair, but she had told me in conversation that she had a slow and steady plan to get everything back in order.  If you like to remodel and do home repair, this was the place for that.  The long hallway led back to the kitchen, with a couple of rooms set off to the left, and a staircase that led upstairs to the right.  Some pre-staged pictures, and some boxes, lined the hallway.  After a hug, and a few minutes worth of a kiss, and, of course, a very friendly dog trying to nose her way in between us, Danielle led me to the kitchen, and I caught the scent of dinner.

    "Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes.  Would you like a tour of the house?"  Danielle took my hand before I could answer and started leading me off.

    She showed me the dining room, which opened to a very cozy front room.  It was small, but she had obviously made this the first room to finish and decorate.  A tiny bay window let in the light, and she had her paint easel set up there.  Danielle continued to show me through the hallway, pointing out where she wanted to set pictures, and make some alterations.  We continued on up the staircase, and she started explaining that the upstairs was where the real heavy work needed done.  Once we reached the top landing, I could see immediately what she had meant.  There was peeling wallpaper in the upper hallway, and the bathroom floor had holes in it to where you could see to the ceiling below.  The holes were situated where plumbing pipes ran between the floor and the ceiling.  Odd, as I didn't notice any water stains or holes in the ceiling downstairs.  Maybe the aging pipes leaked the hot water steam, and saturated the floorboards above them. Next was an unfinished bedroom that was being used for storage.  It looked empty and lonely except for a few open boxes scattered about.  She then took me to another bedroom that she had set up as her own.  It was smaller than the other, but Danielle explained that she got the best breezes in there when the windows were open.  There was a door that connected the two bedrooms, and for me that was interesting, as I had never seen that in a house before.  It was a very old house, and Danielle explained that was how a lot of the older homes were built.  We started to go back to the staircase when I noticed a door in the very back of the upstairs hallway.  It seemed shorter than a standard door, so I figured it led to a storage

space.  As I passed by the door I saw that it was of standard size, but was set about a foot into the floor.  Apparently, the door opens into a room that you have to step down into.  Cute.  I like that idea, and was unusual to see in an old simply designed house. I was smiling, but I felt a chill cover me briefly, and suddenly felt melancholy.

    I spoke to Danielle, who started down the stairs.  "What room is this?  Storage?"

    She shook her head, and had a slight frown.  "No, it is another bedroom.  The master, I believe, since it is larger than the others.  I use it for storage."

    "Can you show me?" I asked her.

    She hesitated, but then took a step back up to me.  "I don't like to go in there.  I think there is some anger in there."

      "Anger?  What do you mean?

    She answered with a sigh.  "Listen, please don't think me to be crazy, but hopefully with the conversations we have had about ghost tours, you will believe me.  I think there is a ghost in there.  I think it gets upset when I go in there, so I just leave it alone, and it leaves me alone."

      I personally believe in ghosts, after a few things that happened to me in my life, so it wasn't difficult to believe her.

    "No, it's fine.  I believe you.  May I go in and take a look around?"

    "Sure, but I don't want to go in with you, so you will have to finish the tour yourself.  I'm going to go and finish dinner.  Don't be long, okay?"

    I nodded, and she went on downstairs.  I will just go in for a peek around, and will look at it in more depth another time.  My cold chill made me curious as to what lay beyond the door.  I have always considered myself to be what is called "ghost sensitive".  It is rare, but usually it occurs in children.  Most people lose it, as they get older.  If you remember those imaginary friends we had growing up, well, not all were in our minds.  One might think that our imaginations aren't as active as we get older, and in a lot of cases we just forget what we have seen as children.  Our rational minds take over and dismiss such events as fanciful.  In my case, my sensitivities have grown stronger.  I am not sure why, but I can tell when the energy of a ghost is near.  I have even seen a few on rare occasions.

    I opened the door and stepped down and into the room.  There were large windows to the left, and to the back of the room.  In the left corner, there was a protruding closet set in place.  Other than that, it was a basic rectangular room.  There was a door on the left side between the windows that led to an outdoor deck with an old iron railing.  It was actually a very nice set-up.  This would make an amazing bedroom for Danielle.  There were many open boxes in the room, and the closet door was slightly open.  There was stained and peeling wallpaper throughout the room.  Danielle's boxes look as if they had been just thrown into the room and left as they were.  I maneuvered myself around the boxes, and looked out the back window.  The backyard stretched back and needed some serious landscaping.  Still, with some love and hard work, this was going to be an amazing place.

    I checked my watch.  I had been in here for five minutes, so I had better wrap it up and head down for dinner.  I paused as I passed the closet, and looked at the slightly open door.  I had imagined a raccoon or something staring at me from within.  Now this was true imagination, as I didn't "feel" anything.  I reached for the doorknob and closed the door.  It was a habit for me to close closet doors.  I walked back to the main door, and as I started to go out of the room, a feeling of despair and anger washed over me.  It made my skin crawl, and I couldn't help but turn around and look for something.  Anything.  I felt awful, and I could definitely get the feeling that something did not want me in there.  Fear is an odd thing, and in this moment, it froze me in place.  I shook my head and turned to step out of the room.

    "I'm sorry.  This is your room.  I am leaving now."  I always felt I should apologize to a ghost when I felt I had invaded their space.  It certainly cannot hurt to show respect.

      As I started to pull the door closed behind me, I could hear a click from inside, and paused to focus inside the room.  The closet door was open a couple of inches as it had been when I first entered.  I shut the door quickly, and fell backwards, forgetting I had to step up into the hallway.  I landed on my butt, and got back up.

    A voice from downstairs refocused me.  "Are you okay up there?  Let me guess, you forgot to step UP into the hallway?"  I chuckled at her question.  She probably had done the same thing before, but with her accent she sounded

so intelligent in asking me about something I had done foolishly.

    I answered her back promptly. "You would be correct, my dear.  Dinner smells great.  I am going to the bathroom to wash up and will be right down."

    I stepped into the bathroom to wash up in the sink.  Danielle was right.  She has a ghost, and it certainly is not happy when anyone goes into that room.  The rest of the house seems fine.  I made it a point to start bringing some cameras and digital recording equipment the next time I come back, as long as Danielle is fine with it.  I exited the bathroom and went to the staircase, pausing to look at the door to the creepy room.  I could swear the door looked like it took a breath before I set for the downstairs.





I stepped into the kitchen, and the aromas of dinner invaded my senses.  My taste buds yearned for dinner, and for a moment, I had forgotten about what happened upstairs.  Danielle had her back to me, as she was preparing plates.

    "Well, how was the creepy room for you?” she said with a slight chuckle.

    "It was certainly creepy.  I felt, how do I put this...?"

    Danielle finished my thought. "Unwelcome?"

    "Yes," I said.  "That is exactly how I felt.  Something is very bitter in there.  I felt like I was invading someone's privacy."

    Danielle turned, and presented me with my plate, and motioned for me to follow her into the front room, where we casually sat on the couch.  Dinner tasted as wonderful as it smelled.  I basically devoured everything after taking one deep breath.  Danielle chuckled at me, as she quizzically watched me eat.

    "Hungry, were you?  Did you not eat today?"

    I finished my bite, "No...Actually, I forgot to eat.  I was too excited about coming up to see you, so I worked right through lunch today."

    We got through the rest of dinner, laughing, and telling little stories about our lives.  They were the type of stories one tells when getting to know someone that they are really starting to like.  I didn't care, at this point, that I was sounding like a total dork.  I figured Danielle might as well get to know me for who I am.  I never believed in a lot of fluff.  Show who you are for who you really are.  If you are liked, then great, and if not, then the other person misses out, and they weren't meant for you anyway.

    Upstairs, in the hallway, the low set door slowly opens.  A slight mist trickles out of the room, and drifts along the upper hallway, pausing at the corner of the railing.  From downstairs, voices of happiness and laughter are heard.  The mist suddenly rushes back to the open door, enters back into the dark room, and the door slams shut.



    "...so then, when I thought I had gotten away, I turned towards the back shed, and the damn Doberman was standing there, growling at me!  I was freaking out, and trying to...what was that?", I reacted to a loud noise upstairs.

    "Umm, not sure.  Maybe one of my boxes fell over.  I was scrambling to throw some boxes in the spare bedroom, when I was tidying up for you.  You know, out of sight out of mind?"

    I was skeptical of her answer, but for the rest of the evening there were no more unexplained noises, and quite frankly, I was having too great a time to really care.  We had a couple glasses of wine, and were feeling a bit more loose and comfortable with each other.  Danielle and I snuggled up on the couch, and watched some television together, but we really never paid attention to what was on.  We just kept talking until we both leaned into a kiss.  At that point, I believe both of our hormones found a youthful desire again, and soon we were kissing and touching like awkward teens.  After a while, we both acknowledged that it was getting late, and since we both had to work the next day, we said our goodnights, and gave each other a more simple kiss.

    I felt amazing.  It was a really good night with a wonderful woman.  Oh yes, I had better not screw this one up!  She is a keeper.  I walked down to my car, and got in.  I drove by her house, and gave my horn a brief toot, as I went by.  The drive home will seem longer than the drive up, especially in the dark.  I turned on my XM to the comedy channel, and continued to drive and laugh.



    Back at the house, Danielle finished washing dishes, and was humming a tune that she liked to hum when she was happy.  It had been a wonderful dinner and she was happy her date enjoyed the food.  Tory padded into the kitchen, looking for a hint of a scrap.

    "Silly dog, here you go.” she said, as she set her plate down for the dog to scavenge what she could of dinner.

    She set for upstairs, and paused by the door to the room that had her so nervous.

    "I'm sorry I let someone in to your room.  Sometimes, people need to find out for themselves.  Please keep calm tonight."  She continued on to her room, then down the hallway to take a shower in the bathroom.

    The dog, Tory, after having finished her treat, came upstairs, and set herself at the bathroom door while Danielle showered.  This was routine for her, and if it bothered her, she never showed it.  She raised her head off the floor, and tilted it at something she was noticing from the opposite end of the hallway.  The door to the back bedroom opened slowly, and Tory got up, and cautiously walked about two-thirds of the way down the hall.  She growled a bit and the fur on her back stood on end.  Her vision seemed to catch some movement, but she didn't go any further forward.  A mist started drifting out of the room, and hovered just outside of the door.  Tory groaned and skittered off to the bedroom, and under the bed, growling the whole time.

    The shadowy mist drifted on down the hall, and settled next to the bathroom door.  On the other side, Danielle was just finishing her shower, and shut the water off, still humming.  The bathroom door opened, and Danielle entered the hallway with her towel wrapped around her.  The mist dissipated, but Danielle didn't even notice, as she allowed a lot of steam from the bathroom to enter the hallway with her.  Danielle did feel the sudden chill in the air, even though her body was still warmed from the hot shower.

    "Wow, Hell of a draft.  One more thing to have the contractors look at."



    After a seemingly long drive, I got home.  I ended up stuck behind a lumber truck, and on these roads, they don't get a lot of room or time to build up speed.  I had to wait until the driver found a side road before I could open things up a bit.  Even though I had a comedy channel on my radio, I didn't laugh much.  My thoughts kept drifting back to that room.  What the Hell is in there?  Maybe I should ask,'Who?  Who is in that room?'    After work tomorrow, I am going to research that house as best as possible, and see if I can find any history behind it.  I wonder if the net will have much of anything considering it is an out of way small town.  I may have to make a special trip to the town archives.  Danielle has plans with friends, so I will see her Friday evening.  Wow.  Look for a girlfriend, and end up with a paranormal experience.  I lie down, turn out my lights, and slip off to a troubled sleep filled with ghostly images in my dreams.



    Danielle was buried under her covers, and Tory was curled up at her feet.  Both were sound asleep as the mist drifted in to the bedroom, and hovered between the door and the bed.  Danielle shivered in her sleep, and pulled the covers tighter to her body.  The mist dissipated.





I get home, after a long day at work, and take a long shower.  I have been contemplating a career change, but it would just be too risky in this economy.  Still, a man can dream, and I usually do this as I shower.  Today, however, my thoughts are on the events of yesterday.  Not only the really nice dinner date with Danielle, but with that weird room, and the obvious entity that resides within.  I get out of the shower, and dry off, then go to my laptop, and start looking up information on the address that is now Danielle's.

    Most of what I find is ownership deeds, and updated plats from public records.  I did find that her home was built in 1919, which seems to match the architecture of the place.  There were a bunch of homes built along that stretch of road similar to Danielle's.  The address number had changed a few times since it was originally built, but all the records reference the current number.  I copy and paste names of past owners into a simple notepad file.  I will use those when I do newspaper searches.  Whoever this ghost might be, I am hoping to find it through these methods.  Hopefully, there will be a significant piece of news, and in that small little town, anything out of the ordinary, like an untimely death, will stick out like a sore thumb.  I start with a common search engine, and start my hunt there.

    After a few hours, I am in disgust.  I can't seem to find much of anything.  I guess in such a small town in the mountains, records are not really accessible online just yet.  I did find out that there is an effort to get historical documents and past newspapers off of microfiche, and onto an online database.  They aren't in this century yet, but at least they are making efforts to get there.  I suppose I will have to do my search the old fashioned way.  Oh well, sometimes that is more fun, and you can find some real treasures of information that way.  Besides, I need to pause here, and get to bed.  Another long workday is ahead of me, but it is Friday, and I will be going to Danielle's after work.  She texted me earlier in the day, and invited me to stay for the weekend.  Well, twist my arm!

    I get clothes set out for work, and then get my weekend bag packed.  I decide to go ahead and get my backpack ready with all my audio and video recording equipment.  I might as well get some use out of the night vision feature that my camcorder has available.  I will have to stop for extra batteries for my regular digital camera, and my digital audio recorder.  I don't want to make the same mistake I made during the ghost tour I did in Ellicott City, Maryland.  I might just get lucky this weekend, in more ways than one.

    I settle into bed, and drift off to sleep.  My head swims with exhaustion, and it is not long before I am adrift in my own dreams.



    Thank God it is Friday!  That is the best phrase anyone ever came up with.  It was just a weird day at work.  The project had a bunch of issues, and there was a major accident on the turnpike today.  Everyone ended up getting sent home for the day, as State Police and NTSB crews were investigating the freak accident.  Apparently, some large truck flipped over an overpass, and landed on top of a Metro bus full of commuters.  According to the news, there were several fatalities. I was North of the accident when I got the word that we could go home, so I was already away from the traffic backup that had formed.  I listened to news for more details, but there seemed to be no more details released in the amount of time it took me to commute home.

    I get home, and run inside to catch a quick shower.  I texted Danielle to let her know I got off work early, so she took the rest of the day off, as well, and told me to come up when I was ready.  It certainly didn't take long to shower and get out the door.  I had my bags already packed in the car, and soon I was sprinting up the road to West Virginia.

    By the time I reached Route 9, my phone was ringing.  It was Danielle.  Goodness, she was as impatient to see me, as I was to see her.  I answered with my normal silliness.

    "Joe's Pizza!  Can I take your order, or do you need a mob hit?"

    Danielle gave a slight giggle, "Are you on your way?  How far out are you?"

    "Oh yes, I just got to Nine, and should be there in less than forty minutes.  Just can't wait for me can you?"

    "Well, it looks as though I will have to wait.  Just hurry...without getting in trouble or wrecking your car.  You have to see what has happened in the room."

    Well, this had my curiosity instantly piqued.  "Wait, I am assuming you meant 'The Room'?  What happened?"

    "Just get here.  I can't explain it."

    We each said goodbye, and I set the phone back on my charger.  What could have happened in there?  Danielle did sound a bit stressed.  She had a slight quiver in her voice.  One scan along both sides of the road, and I hit the gas, going a bit over the speed limit.  Okay, a lot over the speed limit.

    One close call with a local sheriff, as I drove into town, and I am on Danielle's street.  I keep forgetting that the road shifts from 55 miles per hour, to 30 miles per hour, as you come into town.  I saw the sheriff's car just as I remembered, and slowed down rapidly.  As I passed the cop, I saw him shaking a finger at me.  Great, I get scolded by an old cop who doesn't want to do paperwork.  Oh well, no ticket is a good ticket.  I pull into my normal open spot on the street, just a few houses up from Danielle's.  I get out, and get up to the door.  Before I can knock, it is opening, and my arm is grabbed and tugged to get inside.

    Inside, Tory is all over me, and wanting attention.  Danielle is just tugging on my arm, and leading to the stairs.  I speak up.

    "Oh, Hello.  So good to see you.  How was your day?"

    My attempt at light humor is not received well. "C'mon you.  You have got to see this.  I have been freaked out all afternoon."

    We get upstairs, and Danielle opens the door to the back bedroom where the entity resides.  I don't really see anything that tells me that something has happened.  I shake my head, and look at Danielle.

    "What am I looking for?" I ask, with a shrug.

    "Oh really?  I think it is rather obvious...what the Hell?"  She stumbled upon her words, not sure as to what to say next.  "All my storage bins were set on top of each other like a single tower.  I swear.  I got home, and I went into the kitchen to check on Tory's water dish.  I heard loud scraping and thumps from above me.  I came up here, and heard something from the other side of the door.  When I opened it, all those bins were stacked on top of one another.  I swear!"

    I put my arm around her shoulder and pulled her close.  "Dani, I believe you.  I am sure you saw what you saw.  Let's go out to eat, and take a walk by the river.  We can check again after we get back."

    Danielle nodded, went out of the room, and on downstairs.  I turned back into the room, and took a good scan around.  It looked the same as it did when I first stepped in the other day.  I stepped inside, and spoke to the being that I am sure was watching me from wherever it was.

    "Okay, let's just get along, alright?  Dani lives here now.  This is her house, and I am her guest.  How about you just deal with that?"

    As I finished my words, a sudden rush of coldness hit me, and I felt my breathing labored.  I turned to leave the room, looking down to make sure I wouldn't trip over the step-up.  As I stepped up, I reached for the doorknob, and pulled the door closed.

    "Holy crap! What the Hell, man?"  I shot out the question, as my hand felt frozen on the doorknob.

    I must have upset the entity by declaring that the house was Danielle's.  I think that is a very important key to discovering whom this spirit belongs to.  I am going to have to be more careful with this one.  I stare at the door, and just like the other day, it appears to be breathing.  It must be a trick on my eyes, as fear is still consuming me.  I take a deep breath, and head downstairs to meet Danielle, who is putting her shoes on, and getting a leash on Tory.  We step out of the house, and I suddenly feel the fear leave my body.  Was it my own fear I felt, or something from what is within that room in the house?  Tonight, I hope to get a few clues.  Tomorrow, I will go into town, and see if I can find more records on the house and its past owners.



Danielle and I had a relatively quiet dinner.  Obviously, the events of the earlier evening had us both out of sorts.  Danielle was frustrated, but I didn't sense any fear in her.

    "Seriously, why in Hell would my bins be stacked up, then put back in place?  It's like the spirit in there wanted me to see it, but not you.  And if you have been feeling it or sensing it, or whatever you do with ghosts, then why would it hide what it did?"

    I thought my answer over before answering, "Well, it did open the closet door after I closed it.  I have felt it around me, and that doorknob was ice cold earlier.  It's hard to say why it stacked your bins then unstacked them.  Maybe it was a specific message for you?  I mean, what happened to me seemed to be directed at me.  I closed its door, and it didn't like that.  I insulted it, and it wrapped me in coldness.  Maybe we can find some answers when I set up my equipment tonight."

    "I just hope you don't anger it by doing that", Dani responded.

    "There is that chance, but maybe just a one time thing will help me figure out who is in there.  As active as it is, I should be able to capture something."

    We finished dinner, and went down by the river to walk on the bike path.  We just held hands, and quietly walked, watching the slow movement of the river, and making a random comment about an animal we would see, or commenting about how pretty the sun looked setting along the mountain ridge.  We did anything to just not talk about the room, or the ghost within.  As we came up from the river we were much more relaxed, and were laughing and joking about several different things.

    Several minutes later we parked along Dani's street, and went inside her house.  Her dog, Tory, was her excitable self, and I had to give her attention.  Dani went into the front room, and turned on a corner light, then started going through the TV listings to find a movie for us to watch.

    "Hun, I am going to set up my camcorder in the upper hallway.  That cool?"

    Dani hesitated, but agreed. "Yes, that's fine.  I'm just not sure I want to see any footage you get."

    "Well, there is no guarantee that I will get anything.  Might be better to set something in the room, but I want to try the hallway first tonight."

    I went on upstairs, and took my tripod and HD camcorder out of my bag, and set up my filming location.  I duct-taped one of the tripod legs to the railing by the stairwell opening.  I did that to make sure that Tory didn't accidentally bump into the tripod, and knock the camera over.  I learned that lesson once before from a very friendly cat that liked to rub up against things.  Ensuring the camera was stable; I plugged the power cord in, and aimed the lens to the door of the backroom.  I tried different settings, and zoom levels, until I was satisfied with what I had, then pressed the night vision button.  The night vision setting is a very cool feature.  I didn't even realize I had it until after I made the purchase.  The night vision gives a mostly green screen that works by amplifying any source of light.  Any kind of shadow, movement, or change in background is easily picked up using the night vision.

    I hit 'Record' and made a final tweak to the camera angle before going downstairs to join Dani on the couch for a movie, and some cuddling.  Maybe a couple glasses of wine are in order as well.  It is my first stay-over, so I want things to be relaxed and comfortable.  Dani had picked a comedy, and it was really the only movie on, but it didn't matter.  Some laughs will keep the mood positive, and we could both use that.



    In the upstairs hallway, the only light is a slight greenish glow against the wall from the camera viewscreen, and a bit of light bleeding in from down the stairwell.  The doorknob on the backroom door slowly twists around, and the door opens a couple of inches.  The screen on the camera flickers a few times, and resets its auto focus.  This happens a few times over the course of the next couple of hours, until the light in the upper hallway comes on.  Footsteps and laughter are heard coming up the stairs.  The door to the backroom closes shut quietly.

    "No, no, no...I think my favorite is the 'tent silhouette scene'.  Every time I see that, I laugh so hard I can't breathe.  I'm not sure if it the imagery of Austin Powers seemingly having large items coming out of his ass, or the reactions of the guys watching them, but I just lose it." I am still laughing as I recall the scene in the movie we watched.

    "It is just so kindergarten though, but yes, toilet humor is sometimes the best."

    "I think it was comic genius, myself"

    We got to the top of the steps, and Dani entered her bedroom first, turning on a small lamp on her night stand.  I turned off the light in the hallway, walked down to my camera, checked to make sure it was still recording, and that the power cord was still in place.  Everything appeared to be just as I had left it, so that was a good sign.  I'll check the footage in the morning over coffee.  One last little adjustment on the camera angle, and I think that will do it for tonight.

    I go to the bathroom, brush my teeth, and head back down the hallway to Dani's room.  Just before I step in, I feel compelled to look at the door to the backroom.  As I stare at it, I get that odd sensation again that the door is breathing.  It must be a trick of the light, what little there is.  I am just transfixed by this door.  I have the urge to just run in as fast as I can, and flip on the light to see if anything is in there to see.  My thoughts get interupted by Dani clearing her throat.

    "I do think you might want to stare at what I have here instead of at that door." She had a slight tone of sarcasm.

    I shake the cobwebs out of my head, and look at her, and the fact that she has nothing on except part of the bedsheet. "Um, yeah, you do have a point there!"

    I jump into bed, and Dani turns out the light,"Now it is my turn to get your ghost!", she says with a mischievious giggle.

    "I bet Dickens never thought of that kind of ghost in his writings!"



    It is three in the morning, and all are asleep.  The only light present is a streetlamp filtering in through some curtains in the adjoining bedroom, as well as, the greenish light along the wall near the camcorder.  The door between the two is open.  Dani keeps the doors open in the house to allow for better air circulation.  This door stays open regardless, as the bottom sticks to a slight bulge in the floorboard.  One has to give it quite a tug to get it loose. 

    In the hallway, the door to the backroom opens slightly, and the screen on the camcorder starts to flicker repeatedly.  There is a digital thermometer on the wall between the bedroom and the bathroom, and the reading starts to drop as a cold wave passes by it.  A thin mist wavers along the wall then enters the empty bedroom, and traces itself along the floor until it reaches the adjoining door.  There the mist forms a slight column shape about six feet tall.  The nude couple in the bed of Dani's room shiver somewhat, as a cold mass of air flows over them, causing them both to snug together closer, and Dani unconsciously pulls the sheet over them both.  Tory shivers as well, and readjusts herself on the bed to curl in tighter behind Dani's legs.  The mist moves around the bed, and forms a slight shape in the low light in front of the window.  It stays there for a long while, then drifts back to the empty bedroom.  The camcorder screen continues to flicker, then the light steadies itself as the door to the backroom closes.  The sun is rising, and starts to filter into the house.



"Wake Up!"  Such words in the English language are not nearly hated as those.  At least, that is my thought, as my eyes reluctantly open to slits to the bright sunshine harshly bleeding into the room.  Dani has her hand on my shoulder, shaking me as she speaks.

    "I'm awake...ohhhhhh...bright light...bright light...someone find the dimmer switch for the Sun.  Ummm what time is it?" I asked, but really don't want to know the answer.

    I was right, as Danielle answered,"It's just after six-thirty."

    Six-thirty, on a Saturday morning.  Just wonderful.  I was hoping to sleep in until at least six-forty!  Dani must be an early riser like myself.  I get up an hour and a half earlier during the work week, so I do find it hard to sleep in on weekends.  This, however, will be a caffiene IV morning.  I sit up and try to shake the cobwebs out of my head.  My hands are over my face to ward off the harsh sunlight.  I try to keep my good humor.

    "Didn't have enough last night, and wanted to start the morning off with a 'bang'?" I looked at her with a sheepish grin, but she was not looking at me.  She wasn't even smiling.  She was looking towards the foot of the bed with a definite frown.

    She nodded towards where she was looking.  "Please tell me that you closed that door."

    I looked at where she was looking, and saw that the door between the two bedrooms was closed shut.  Now, not only does the door jam against the warped floorboards, but it won't latch unless you lift up on the doorknob with considerable pressure as you close it.  Here it was, though, closed and latched.  I shook my head.

    "No.  Wish I could say I did, but I never touched it.  Maybe Tory bumped it loose?"  I knew that wasn't the case, but it was the only logical thought.

    "I thought that myself, but it is fully closed.  Unless Tory grew opposable thumbs on her paws, that door wouldn't be latched from her bumping it."

    I got up and pulled on a pair of running shorts, and slid out of bed.  Sure enough, the door was latched completely.  I actually had to lift up and pull out on the doorknob to loosen it from being closed.  I opened it until it caught up on the floor, and gave it an extra tug to set it tighter to the floor.  Now the door was in its 'Open' position.  I tested different pushes to loosen the door from the floor, and it took a really strong push to get it loose.  I gently tried to close the door to its latched position without the doorknob lift.  It was impossible to do.

    "Tory couldn't have done it.  We would have heard it.  I know I didn't do it.  I also sleep too lightly, so I know you weren't sleepwalking.  I would have woken up."

    "If it is what I am thinking it is, then I might have to get a little out of sorts.  That hasn't happened before.  Ever." Dani was definitely agitated, by the way her words came out, and she continued, "I think we might be pissing it off with all the techno and testing it the way we have lately."

    I couldn't disagree, but I didn't think that was the case either. "There is the possibility that we have irritated it into doing other things, but we also do not know if this was part of a progression of events to happen.  You haven't been living here that long.  It might have happened with or without me being around."

    Dani thought this over, and nodded her head slightly.  "I have to admit, that does sound possible, as well.  Okay, I am going to put on some coffee, and start some breakfast.  Eggs and sausage okay with you?"

    I nodded, "Yes, that would be great.  I'll grab my camcorder and take some quick scans of the footage, unless you want help."

    "No, no, play with your camera.  Maybe it actually captured something.  I still don't know if I want to see anything you might have found on there."  Dani put on a robe, and went on downstairs.

    I throw on a t-shirt, and plod down the hallway, barefoot.  First stop, bathroom.  Once that business is done, I go to the camera, and break down the set-up, putting everything back in the equipment bag, except the camera itself.  I take the bag, and the camera downstairs, and take a seat on the sofa in the front room.  Tory hears me, comes out of the kitchen, and jumps up on the couch, curling up next to me.  Silly dog has taken a shine to me, it seems, as she rests her chin on my knee.  I pat her head a bit, then open my camcorder screen, and start the recording.  I try to watch as much as I can, but after 10 minutes, there is nothing happening in the footage.  It is just a static image of the hallway.  The backroom door is positioned to the right of the screen, with a good bit of the hallway leading off to the left.  I had made sure that Dani's bedroom door was in frame.

    Five more minutes of playback, and I decide to fast forward some.  I figure I might be better off waiting until something looked different before going back to normal speed.  I am looking at the first part of the recording, when Dani and I were down watching TV.  Over an hour had passed on the footage, but nothing was happening.  It must be frustrating for the TV ghost hunting types to review all the footage they have, but they probably have a full staff that does that for them.  I start to get frustrated myself.  There are several hours of footage, and I may only get a moment of anything interesting.  The proverbial 'needle in a haystack'.  I will just run it until when we came up to go to bed before I quit for a bit.  Dani walks in from the kitchen with a cup of coffee, and hands it to me.  She tells me that there is about ten minutes left before we can eat.  I thank her, and blankly look back to the small camcorder screen.

    After another minute, I am ready to give up, but something appears on screen.  I push 'Stop' on the playback, and back up a few frames, then replay it at normal speed.  There it is.  Something that looks like the trailing smoke from the end of a cigarette ribbons its way along the hallway wall.  It is slow moving, and I think it is by chance that I am seeing it.  I look closer at the small screen on the camcorder and try to determine if it has some purpose in its movement, also, to make sure it isn't a trick of light.  As I peer closer the screen flickers and gives me a few brief 'tv snow' effects.

    "That's odd.  Something caused some interference it seems.", I say to myself.

    The screen continues to snow up, and there seems to be no set pattern in timing for that to happen.  It just does it at random times, and for random intervals.  In between 'snows' the smoke ribbon seems to get closer, but then soon goes off frame to the right.  The screen suddenly brightens, and the camcorders autofocus seems to become slow to catch up.  Oh yes, this is when Dani and I turned on the downstairs light to come upstairs.  The focus finally adjusts, and I swear I saw a shadow slip into the gap in the open backroom door.  It shuts tight, as Dani and I appear at the top of the steps in the footage.  I rewind to when the light came on, and play it again.  Yes, there it is, a slight shadow in the brightened hallway, and it swiftly disappears into the backroom.

    I'm going to have to plug the camera into a TV, or download it to my computer so I can see it better.  These small camcorder screens just aren't designed for good quality playback.  I couldn't even tell if the backroom door was open.  I rewind the footage again, and hit the playback one more time.  I pause the footage just before Dani and I show up in frame.  I want to see the shadow just before it is gone from view.  I try this a few times before I stop it on the right frame.  I sit back, not really believing what I am seeing.  Dani calls in from the kitchen to tell me that I needed to come in and get a plate ready.  I grab a notepad out of my bag, and write down the timestamp and frame number of the frame I have paused, then set the camera back down on the table.  Dani tells me to 'hurry my ass up', and I jump up to comply.  Even a little cursing is cute when it comes in a British accent.



    Tory jumps off the couch and her tail catches the camera, spinning it around, as she heads off to beg for scraps of breakfast.  On the open camcorder screen, the frame is bright and green.  The door to the backroom is to the right of the frame, and just in front of the door is a human shaped shadow that appears to be looking down the stairwell at whoever is coming up the steps.  At the ends of the shadow's 'arms', long ribbony smoke seems to form fingers.  What appears to be a face shifts on screen, looking toward the camera with a seeming scowl.  The automatic power-down feature shuts off the screen.



Dani and I finished breakfast, then I helped her clean up and do the dishes.  Once finished, we went to the front room.  Dani insisted on me putting away the equipment, and getting out for what was shaping up to be a great day outdoors.  I agreed, and we ventured off to town.  It was a lovely day, but my mind kept drifting off to the image I saw on my camcorder screen.  I will have to spend some quality time with the footage on my computer.  I have some great editing software that will allow me to review everything.  Regardless, that will have wait until tomorrow.  Dani has some plans with her girlfriends at a winery, and I will have all day to take care of the footage then.

    Dani and I finish the day, and return to her home for dinner.  We decide to cook out on the grill out in her backyard.  We get everything out back, and as I fire up the grill, Dani starts wiping down the little cafe table and chairs that she has on her back patio.

    "So what time are you meeting your friends tomorrow?"

    Dani shrugged, "We have no exclusive timetable, but I think we are going to meet up in town for brunch then head from there.  What do you have planned tomorrow?"

    I just smiled.  "Footage review.  I am confident that I have some interesting images, and I am going to pour through every frame."

    "Well, you enjoy that.  Just don't tell me I need to run screaming from my house, okay?"

    That took me for a loop.  What if this was a maliscious spirit?  I started to wonder if any of the activity would cause any concern to Dani's health.  I looked up to the windows of the backroom, and imagined whatever was in there looking back at me.  Stacking her storage bins was one thing, but this thing was moving around the house.  It didn't stay confined to that room.  But why that room?  Why did it have an affinity to have that room as a sort-of home base?  I will need to find more history into the house.  A trip to the town library might be a good option before I leave for home tomorrow.

    "Are you going to stare at that window, or throw some burgers on the grill?"

    I shook my thoughts, and looked at Dani.  "Sorry.  Yes,  burgers.  Grill.  Cooking.  Right!"



    In the backroom of the house, the closet door opens wide, and several of Dani's storage bins start to shake and shudder.  They all start to slowly slide to one corner of the room.  At the window, a curtain folds over to make a slight opening.  Below, in the backyard, the couple is laughing and cooking.  The bins start stacking neatly, and are all soon stacked to the ceiling.  On the floor a small stain starts to form on the old tattered carpeting.  The room darkens, and a mist starts to rise up out of the stain.



    "No you didn't!!" Dani is barely able to contain herself at one of the stories I tell of a liberty port I stopped in while I was in the Navy.

    "Oh yes!  We were sitting there at this little beach-side restaurant.  Bees are flying around everywhere, and my buddy was totally flirting with these women from Germany.  I think they understood English, but they didn't let us in on it.  They were probably commenting on us in the same way we were of them, but I think they had the upper hand.  Finally, Tom leans over and asks them to come sit with us.  As he is trying his moves, a bee lands right on his shoulder.  I'm buzzed from our drinks, and I smacked the bee.  It stung Tom, and he is jumping around like crazy swatting at his shoulder, and the other bees decide he is target number one.  He runs off screaming, and the Germans are rolling laughing.  Funny thing is, the bees paid no attention to the rest of us."

    "So did you all get lucky with the German girls?"

    "No.  I was married at the time, so I kept away from that.  The other guys had fun flirting and spending time trying to communicate, but at the end of the day, they left, and we had a three mile walk back to the ship.  Now, ask the other guys, and I am sure the story ended differently, you know, for reputation sakes."

    "Oh I am sure of that", Dani agreed. "I never understood the American military types.  They all seemed to much like partiers."

    We continued to laugh and tell stories from our past until the sun started to set, and we decided to go in and take in another movie for the evening.  Once inside, I set up my equipment again.  This time, I add a digtial voice recorder, and set it on the floor near the door to the backroom with the setting on 'Voice activated'.  Maybe this thing will leave an EVP for me to listen to.  Oh sure, it will make the day longer for me tomorrow, but I am certain that this is the real deal, and my long hours should prove to be fruitful.

    Back downstairs, Dani and I settle into the couch, and start watching the latest in a long line of comic book super hero movies that our society is being saturated by.  Silly, but we love those movies, so Hollywood will keep churning them out.  We cuddle up close to each other, and I find that I am more tired than I thought I would be.  It isn't long before I am asleep with Dani resting against me with her back to me.  That couch is just too comfortable, and so is Danielle.



    I wake up to Dani elbowing me.  "I'm up!  Sorry.  I felt so good I must have passed out.  Is the movie over?"

    "Long over.  I fell asleep too.  Anyway, listen.  Do you hear it?"

    I focused my attention on my hearing and listened. Yes.  There was a weird shuffling sound coming from upstairs.  I jumped up, and held Dani from falling off the front of the couch.

    "I think it is showtime.  C'mon, let's see what this is all about." I said this as I was puling her up off the couch.

    She pulled back on me.  "I'm not sure I can."

    "You can, and I will be here with you."

    We both got up, and headed for the staircase.  Of course, the noise stopped as we made a ruckess getting to the steps and turned on the light in the hallway above us.  I cursed myself for making that mistake.  Once getting upstairs the first order of business was to search the upstairs to make sure it wasn't someone who came into the house.  I was ready to punch anyone that came at us.

    We didn't find anything out of the ordinary, but what I said next surprised Dani.

    "What if you have some hobo living in that room?  We should really check the room."

    She just shook her heard.  "That makes sense to do that, but what if there is a spectre in there?  Then what?  I have never been in there when it was dark out."

    "Good a time as any for the first time.  Let me grab my camcorder off the tripod."

    We both slowly walked towards the backroom.  I always wondered why anyone did that in scary movies, but I didn't think it was my job to change that approach.  I had my camera leading the charge, and looked into the screen from time to time, as we got closer.  Dani shadowed directly behind me.  I think she was using me as a shield, so to speak.  We got to the door, and I hesitated as I reached for the doorknob.

    I whispered back to Dani.  "I am going to just bum-rush inside.  Keep behind me, and as you pass the doorway,flip on the lights.  If someone is there, we might flush them like a cockroach.  Cool?"

    Dani grimaced, but she nodded.  She wasn't very convinced, and I hoped she would stay close behind me and not bail out.  I motioned that we would go on the count of three.  We both took a deep breath, and I reached for the doorknob, stopping less than an inch away.

    "One...two...THREE!!"

    I turned the doorknob, and pressed the door open with my shoulder, and as we both got through, Dani flipped on the light.  Nothing.  No one was standing there, dead or alive.  No, the room was just a dimly lit room, with peeling wall paper, dusty curtains, and neatly stacked storage bins in the corner.  Wait a minute.

    "You didn't stack your bins, did you hun?"

    Dani stepped over to the bins, shaking her head, and threw her arms in the air.  "You see?  I told you.  They look nice and neat, but why are they stacked up in the corner?"

    I stepped back, and reached out of the doorway to grab my voice recorder.  I turned it on, and pointed it towards the closet.

    "Hello.  I am Mike.  This is Danielle.  Is there someone here?  What is your name?  Why are you doing these things?  Is there something you want to tell us?"  I set the recorder on the windowsill closest to the closet.  "If you want to say anything to us, please talk into this little device right here.  It will allow us to hear you."

    Dani added a thought.  "Would you hurt any of us?"

    I just looked at her, but she just shrugged her shoulders.  "Better to know now, don't you think?"

    The way she said it, with her accent, made me giggle.  She frowned a bit, but then started giggling herself.  We both started laughing like we had heard the funniest joke, but then the light popped, and the room went dark except for the light coming from the screen on my my camcorder.  Dani yelped, and I started scanning the room.  I didn't see anything on my screen, but I was moving quickly.  I would have to review the footage later with the others.

    Dani grabbed my arm, and clutched tight, as I spun around the room with my camcorder filming every corner of the room.  I heard a creak, which sounded like it was coming from the closet, and focused my camera there.  The room suddenly felt very cold, and in the limited light, I could see my breath.  Dani shivered, and pulled closer to me.

    "Do you feel that?  It just got cold in here.  Do you feel it too?"

    "Yes, I do.  It's not just you, Dani.  I also feel very...how do you put it?  I feel like I have walked into an awkward spot, and am not welcome to stay.  I think we better step out now."

    Dani agreed, and we left the room, closing the door to the room.  Once the door latched, I let out a deep breath. I will have to go back in there to get my voice recorder, but it can wait until morning when there is some sunlight.  it will make the room less threatening.  Funny, how that works.

    "I think we should go to bed."

    Dani responded, "I'm not so sure I could sleep right now.  Not up here anyway.  Let's sleep on the couch.  Tory will be confused, but she'll get over it.  Let's just go downstairs please"

    "No problem.  I was sleeping well down there anyway.  I'm just going to set my camcorder back on the tripod, and I will be down."

    Dani went in her bedroom and grabbed a couple more pillows, and then went on downstairs.  I set the camcorder back, and adjusted the focus and settings.  I headed downstairs, and looked back at the door as I got halfway down the steps.   

    "What do you want?" I whispered at the door.

    I continued on downstairs and met Dani on the couch.  She had refilled her wineglass, and had a beer for me.  She had changed the channel on the TV to a comedy sketch show.  She apparantly decided we both needed to laugh at something.  She and I watched television, and eventually snuggled in for a night of sleep on the oversized couch.  It wasn't long before I felt the tug of sleep pulling down my eyelids.



    In the upstairs, in the backroom, the digital voice recorder sits, where left, on the windowsill.  The setting had been changed back to voice activated.  That would save the batteries in the device, and would only activate and record at any noise that was within range. There, it would sit all night.

    At three in the morning, there was a sound that came from the closet door, and the 'Active" LED light came on, on the recorder.  It stayed on for 15 seconds then shut off.  It had a default setting to record for 25 seconds at each noise.  It would stay on if there was continuous noise or talking.  After a few more minutes, the light came back on, and remained on for a few minutes.  The curtain, next to where the recorder sat, moved to the side, and the light came once more.    The stain on the floor formed again, and a mist started to rise from it.



Sunday morning has come.  Dani and I had a light breakfast, then I packed my gear and said my goodbyes to her and Tory.  Dani had plans with her friends, and I had a good day of research, and a lot of footage to review.  I drove into town, and went to the library.  I would rather have been able to go to the Town Hall, but that would have to wait for a weekday.  I sat outside of the library until noon, when it opened.  Sunday hours in a small town.  You have to love it.

    I found a section in the library that had some local history.  It wasn't much, but I got to learn a little more about the town.    Shepherdstown is the oldest town in the state, and  was chartered in 1762 by Colonial Virginia's General Assembly. From 1863, and on, Shepherdstown has been in West Virginia.  The first successful trial of a steamboat was conducted in the Potomac river along the town.  A lot has happened in this town over its history, and most recently, in 2000, it was the location for peace talks between Israel and Syria.  I had never known that before, and the fact had me in awe.  A huge fact emerged as I looked more.  During the Civil War, there were thousands of casualties from the nearby Battle of Antietam that were brought into town.  Several more Civil War battles found Shepherdstown as a final resting place for many soldiers.  There is no doubt in my mind that this town would be prime for several hauntings.  I would have to make it a point to walk the town in the middle of the night, and see if I can have some encounters.

    In speaking to a librarian, I was directed to a small section that had a few PCs and they were linked to a database the library had.  They had done away with microfiche, and had a lot of public records, and more importantly, old newspapers scanned into the database.  I started looking into newspaper stories from the year Dani's house was first built, and onward from that point.  With the computer, I am able to look for keywords, and use the house numbers that were used as Dani's house address in the home's history.  It changed three times since 1919, when the house was built, and luckily I had written that information down when I looked for plat information earlier in the week.

    I spent about an hour at the computer, and I noticed someone who kept pacing in and out of my peripheral view.  I looked back, and noticed an older gentleman, who would sneak a look at me at times.

    "Can I help you, sir?" I finally asked.

    He walked up to me, and motioned at the computer.  "I was wondering how long you were going to be, but I didn't want to intrude.  You seem to be hard at work looking things up."

    I looked at my watch and realized I had been on this station for a long time.  "I am so sorry.  I guess I lost track of time.  Is there a time limit I am supposed to be following?"

    The old man shook his head,"No, no.  Not at all.  I am just a little impatient, I suppose.  I should really get myself a computer, but I like coming here.  It gets me out of the house, you know?"

    I smiled, and nodded at his words.  "Yes, I know exactly what you mean." I extended my hand.  "I am Mike, and you are?"

    "Frank, and a pleasure to meet you.  So what are you looking up?  Looking for property? My son is a realtor in town."

    "Frank.  Very nice to meet you, as well." The rest I fibbed a bit.  You never know what reactions you get by telling someone there is a ghost in a house. "No, thank you.  I'm not looking for property for living in.  You see, a friend of mine lives here in town, and she thinks her house is haunted.  I wanted to get some information to show her that things are okay.  Silly, huh?"

    "I have learned that in my old age, anything is possible.  Now, personally, I believe in ghosts. You don't live in this town without running into one."

    I kept nodding as he spoke, soaking all of his words in.

    He continued, "And another thing, Mike.  I am old enough now that when I meet a new person, they are considered friends right away.  And in being friends, I will tell you that you don't have to bend the truth with me.  Even if I thought you were nuts, you shouldn't give a damn what anyone thinks.  No one pours themself that deep into research for someone else."

    I smiled a sheepish grin, and nodded.  "I'm sorry Frank.  People react in different ways when I talk about spirits and ghosts.  You are right. This isn't just for my friend.  Actually, maybe you can help.  I'm trying to look up some history to my friend's house.  Perhaps you can steer me in the right direction?"

    Frank put some glasses on, and looked over my shoulder at the computer screen. "Well, you look like you are doing it the right way.  I am guessing you started in 1919, but you might want to look about a year prior, to when they broke ground to build the row of houses.  That was typical practice.  Also, Town Hall has every police and ambulance record on file.  You might to check that out."

    I shrugged,"Town Hall is difficult for me, Frank.  I live in Virginia, and I work during the week.  I'd have to take a day off."

    Frank sat next to me and leaned forward a bit. "You know what?  I'm retired.  My wife passed last year.  I am bored to tears.  I help out the town by helping the florist plant flowers in the planters around town.  I liked it for the first week.  I want to do something that makes me feel like I really help.  Something that makes me think.  Let me do some legwork and research for you.  I'm always off, now, and I think it would be fun to have the challenge."

    "Frank, I couldn't ask you to do that."

    "I know.  That is why I said I would do it before you could object.  Let's go make some copies of your notes, and write down anything else that you think would be helpful."  He leans in closer.  "Ghosts walk this town all the time.  I will help you find yours.  Here."

    He passed me a business card that read, 'Frank P. Batten, Retired Old Fart and Pain in the Ass', and it had his cell number on it.  I laughed out loud, and a few patrons looked our way.

    "That is my cell number.  I don't keep a house phone anymore.  No need with these things. Anyway, call that number and I will store yours.  I'll call you if I find anything."

    I shook Frank's hand again, and we went to the copier, and made the copies of the notes.  On the back I scribbled some more information, and some possible pathways.  Frank was going to be a great help, and being a long time local, he might think of things I haven't.  We went outside, and I thanked Frank again, before heading to my car.  I still had a lot of footage to go through.  I just hope I have the energy to do so, after spending most of the day here in town.  I get in my car, and make for home.  As I drive out of town, I can't help but to think about what Frank said about there being ghosts all over town.  I may be making this a regular trip, even past the reasons that Danielle provide.  In my rear view mirror, the small sleepy little town got smaller.  What I realized, at that moment, was that this small town was about to get bigger for me.



At times, I sit back and wonder why it is that I do the things I do.  How many have tried to shoot footage of a ghost, only to come up empty?  I know it has happened to me several times.  The consumption of time just to get a brief glimpse of a shadow can be mind-numbing, but somehow, I find it oddly relaxing.  Sometimes, real life isn't as rewarding, so maybe that is why I try to find a connection with those who have passed on.

    It is those thoughts that consume me as I sit here in front of my laptop.  I have downloaded all the video, and all of the audio recordings from the past couple of nights.  Now comes the task of reviewing the footage.  That is the moment where I realize that things could take a long time.  It helps that I can fast forward, because any change in a static image becomes visible right away, and I can stop, rewind, and then play at normal speed.  It is a lot harder to review video from doing a motion because you have to watch in real speed.  At least the audio recordings will take less time, as the digital voice recorder only activated with sound.  I decide to start with those.

    I think I made a wise choice in the purchase of my digital voice recorder.  It was relatively affordable, and it had a lot of great features, including plugging into my computer for instant download.  One thing that helps is that each recording is time stamped, so I can compare anything I hear with the same time on the video playback.  That gives me a logical place to review some of the video footage.  Hit the 'hot spots' first, then review the rest after.

    I plug in my headphones to the computer, then start the playback.  I use a simple built-in program on my computer that plays back audio files while giving a graphical representation smiliar to what one might see on a heartbeat monitor, so when there is sound you see spikes in the graph.  So, in order to save time, I look for the spikes, and start playback just before those spikes occur.  The first series of spikes isn't much.  Mostly creaks, and some knocking sounds.  Not enough evidence to suggest being made by a ghost.  Most likely, it is the sound of an old house settling, or even from the plumbing.  These are the recordings from the first session, where the recorder was placed on the floor outside of the backroom.  I will make it a point not to set it on an old floor in the future.

    I search for the next set of spikes, and listen in.  This group yields something interesting.  A click, and a creak.  The door opening?  I think this might be the case, and play this back several times.  Satisfied, I move on to the next.  All I hear are bursts of static.  Possibly, this is the result of a ghost interfering with the electronics, but again, nothing verifiable.  I continue this routine, and I feel boredom setting in.  Wait.  Stop.  I have to rewind this.  I hit play, and the next series of sounds catches my attention and pulls me from the duldrums.  I hear what sounds like something sliding across the floor.  It is the same sound I heard when Dani woke me on the couch the other night, just before we discovered the storage bins stacked up in the corner of the room.  Yes, that is what we have.  I continue to listen to the shuffling sounds, but then I hear something else, so I rewind and play it again with the volume at max.  Whoa.  I play it back over and over again, until I am sure of what I hear.

    "~go...way~" It was faint, but it was a male voice.  'Go Way'.  Odd.  Could it have meant, 'Go away'?  One's mind can play tricks, and it is possible to hear what you want to hear, but I am certain those were the words I heard.  They were very clear.

    The next series of noises were of Dani and I coming from downstairs as we heard the sounds.  Now this is were I really want to pay attention.  It was soon after that we attempted to speak to the entity in the room, after we burst in.

I listen to the whole sequence.

    "One...two...THREE!!"

    "You didn't stack your bins, did you hun?"

    "~Leave us~"

    "You see?  I told you.  They look nice and neat, but why are they stacked up in the corner?"

    "Hello.  I am Mike.  This is Danielle.  Is there someone here?  What is your name?  Why are you doing these things?  Is there something you want to tell us?  If you want to say anything to us, please talk into this little device right here.  It will allow us to hear you."

    "~Leave us~"

      "Would you hurt any of us?  Better to know now, don't you think?"

    "~Yes~"

    Then there were the sounds of Dani and I as we started giggling.  Then a loud sound of a static burst, and Dani's surprised yelp as the light went out.  There was a very audible creak, which I remembered to be the closet door, when I focused the camera there.

    "Do you feel that?  It just got cold in here.  Do you feel it too?"

    "~OUT!~"

    "Yes, I do.  It's not just you, Dani.  I also feel very...how do you put it?  I feel like I have walked into an awkward spot, and am not welcome to stay.  I think we better step out now."

    "~No...stop...no~"

    The next sound was the sound of the door closing when we exited, and some muffled voices, which was Dani and I as we discussed going downstairs to sleep.

    I replayed this sequence several times, and wrote down what I thought I was hearing until it made more sense.  I got chills from the last EVP on this playback.  'No...stop...no'. It didn't match the rest of the sequence, and even scarier, it was a female voice.  Do we have two of them?  The male voice did say 'Leave us'.  This may complicate things a bit, but there is no mistaking two different voices, of different genders.  The male voice was angry.  The female voice sounded scared.  Who are they?  There is no doubt they are there, but just who are they?



    Frank P. Batten, actually a retired Army soldier, and also retired from working for the county as a flood engineer, sits with a group of gentlemen at a local diner.  Smoke from cigars, and the heavy scent of strong coffee, are mixed in with the smells of bacon coming from the kitchen.  All the men are roughly Frank's age.  All of them long time residents of the small town, including one who was once mayor in his younger years.  This is Ralph Gunderson, and he still speaks with an air of authority.

    "Frank, I think it is nice you made friendly with the guy, but you don't need to be feeding his curiosities.  Humor him some, but don't overdo it."

    The other men nod in agreement, but Frank leans forward, and speaks to his own accord. "You have got to be kidding me.  Each of us have had an encounter of some type in this town.  It is just where we live.  Ghosts are among us.  We have known this since we were kids.  All those times playing hide and seek in the Civil War graveyards?  The railroad at night when we would drink beers as teenagers?  This guy has seen something in Danielle Johnson's house.  We all know what that house means.  I told him I would look for information, and I still will, even if to satisfy my own curiosity for details, but we all know what would help him the most.  We have to invite him up, and tell him what we know, and who that ghost really is."

    "And then this guy glorifies everything, and then we have the Post, and CNN, and everyone else coming here to talk to us, and then they leave with us looking like senile old men?"  This was Tom Givens.  He owns the local barber shop.

    Frank answers. "No, Tommy. He won't say anything to the press.  I have that feeling about him.  He's more like us than I might have first thought.  I say we save him some time, and tell him what we know.  I will discuss with him about outsiders coming into our town as a disruption, and I think he will see things from our point of view."

    "I agree.  You should be up front with him."  Shelby, the long time server at Pat's Diner, surprised the men with her input, and they all looked at her with scrutiny.  "Seriously.  Be honest.  You old farts have spent too much of your lives gossiping about this town over the decades.  Besides, even if a little attention came our way, it wouldn't hurt to have a little bit of money come our way too."

    The current mayor, Steve Stapers, just sat there in thought, but finally spoke up.  "Why don't we just do it?  How many towns are famous because of their ghost stories?  This is a town of history.  We get the 'history tourists', so why not make things better with some ghosts?  There are a lot of tourists who love that kind of thing.  A lot more than the ones who want to see a few tombstones from a long ago war."

    Frank looked smug.  "Alright then, let's do this.  Those who want to talk to Mike, and tell their stories can, and those who don't can just sit back.  I was going to tell him what I knew, anyway.  You know I don't give a rat's ass what anyone else thinks of me.  I'll call him this evening."

    Ralph looked irritated, but it was clear he was outnumbered.  He watched as Frank left the diner.  "We are going to look like fools, gentlemen."  He threw some cash in the center of the table, and walked out himself, leaving the rest of the men to stare at each other in knowing silence.



    Ten in the evening.  I am so tired.  I spent all afternoon and evening going through the audio, and comparing the video.  I am pleased, but also scared with what I have captured on video.  I will have to call Frank in the morning, and set up a time to sit with him, and show him what I have.  I have never been this successful with video.  There are some simple shadows that are usually explained with some logic, but there is also some footage that I never imagined.  I am having a hard time grasping what I actually have.  I sent a text to Dani, telling her a brief of what I have.  She didn't reply, but she is probably already in bed, as I should be now.  Tomorrow will be a long day at work.  I hate Mondays on the project.  I go to bed, and my dreams are filled with the images from the video footage.



    Franks sits on his front porch, watching the random car pass by, and drinks his Pabst from the can.  He has been thinking all night about Danielle's house, and of the town in general.  He trusts he has made the right decision, but he is a little bit scared.  Some old memories of what he has seen himself, at times when he walked by that house. Has it really been fifty years since that night?  He takes another drink, as a figure appears down the road, on the sidewalk.  He watches closely as the figure gets closer and enters the light of Frank's porch.

    "A little late for you, Ralph.  Trouble sleeping?"

    Ralph, steps up onto Frank's porch and takes a seat.  Frank hands him a beer, and Ralph opens it quietly and takes a long drink.  "Ewww.  How do you drink this?"

    "An acquired taste, my friend.  Still better than that homemade stuff you experimented with when you wanted to open a brewery in the 70s."

    "I don't even want to bring back those memories, Frank.  That was some nasty stuff." Ralph nodded.  "Speaking of memories, are you sure you want to do this?"

    Frank took another drink. "Yepper.  I sure do.  That night was a bad one for all of us.  It shook up the community, and I think we were all glad when the time passed and it became just a tiny piece of our history.  You are worried about reputation, but we are too old to worry about that.  Besides, this Mike fellow is pretty inquisitive.  You should have seen him in the library.  He will find out even if we don't say anything to him, and it will just lead to more questions. Besides, I like the guy.  He reminds me of us at that age.  I also like Ms. Johnson.  She has made quite a difference since she started working for the town.  I'd rather her not be scared off."

    "Damn you, Frank.  I know it is the right thing to do, but I can't help thinking we will be laughed at."

    "No, you are worried that 'you' will be laughed at.  You always have.  Don't sweat it.  You did a good job as mayor.  You won't be forgotten in that way.  Besides, none of us did anything wrong here.  We just are the last with knowledge of a bad event in our town."

    "I know.  I know.  I think part of it is that we don't know everything that happened or why.  Part of me doesn't want to know, and this guy from Virginia could find the answers.  It is an old memory that I wish would just stay old."

    Frank nodded.  "I know.  Part of me feels the same, but as I think of it, it would be nice to have some closure.  Well, finish that beer, so I can kick you out, and go to bed.  Old people piss me off sometimes."

    Ralph smiled, and chugged the last of his can. "We are good like that.  Don't get behind us on a mountain road!"





My alarm goes off way too early, and I struggle to reach it to shut the infernal thing off.  Actually, the alarm is at the normal time, but I spent too much time with the video footage the night before, and my sleep was troubled.  As I shake the cobwebs out of my head, I think about the images I have on the video.  This could be big, as far as paranormal investigations go.  I don't have nearly the expanses of equipment and budget that one sees on the television shows.  What I have is simple stuff, but I have seemingly proven that you don't need a lot of fancy stuff.  I think you just need a lot of good luck and timing.  Regardless of the good fortune I have with my findings, I still have a lot of dread.  Still, I have a normal job, and need to get dressed and on to the real world.



    Mondays.  I think they were named such because they sound like the word, 'mundane'.  A day that a majority of people go back to work, and trudge through the day.  I certainly feel that way myself today.  Hot, humid, and just miserable.  After being up late last night I am certainly feeling it.  What really sucks is that I am barely halfway into the morning.  I stop at a 7-11, and get a sports drink.  I have been drinking water all morning, but that is getting old.  I might as well have some flavor with my hydration.

    I sit in my truck, A/C blowing, and listening to the weather report.  My drink is refreshing, but the day is going to get worse.  Record temperatures are expected, so it is going to be a brutal day.  As I reflect, my mind drifts, and I start thinking of the video.  I think that is making the day even longer.  After work I will take on the task of trimming the video to just have the portions where I have activity.  I am jump-started back to reality as my personal cell rings.  It is Frank.  Could he have found something out already? I slide the "Accept" icon on my smartphone, and answer the call.

    "Frank, hello, how are you?"

    "Doing fine, Mike.  I hope I am not interupting your work?"

    "No, no. I am actually on a short break to cool down a bit.  What's up?"

    "Well, I would like to invite you up when you get a chance some evening this week.  There are things to discuss, and I feel it would be better to do so in person."

    "Have you found something?"

    "...I have information.  I think it will be very helpful."

    Well, that was quick.  I wonder how he was able to get something so fast, but no matter.  The point it that he has found something, it seems.

    "That is excellent, Frank.  I have found a lot with my video and audio captures.  I will bring those up and show you"

    "Yes, that would be good.  I am curious to see what you have found."

    "I was surprised with what I have, Frank.  Well, if you are free this evening, I get off after an eight hour day, due to the high heat conditions, so I can be up your way around dinner time.  Do you have a spot in mind?"

    "Pat's Diner, on Main Street.  You can't miss it, and if Ms. Johnson can come along, she can make sure you get to the right spot.  So about six-thirty this evening?"

    "Yes, that will work out fine for me.  See you then."

    "Very well.  Enjoy the rest of your day, and drink enough water.  Take care."

    "Bye Frank"

    I  looked at my watch.  Better get back to work.  This is good.  Frank and I can compare notes, and I am pleased that this has gone as quick as it has.  I didn't expect much of anything until later in the week.  I send a text to Dani to tell her about what is going on, and to let her know she is invited.  I pull out of the parking lot, and set off for the next task at hand.  The temperatures are already near record levels, and it isn't even noon yet.



    I reach the town limits early, and make my way to Dani's house.  She responded to the text, and accepted the invitation.  I get parked and reach her door, where she is waiting.

    "Hey sweetness.  I'm a bit early, sorry."

    Dani laughed. "You always are, so I made sure I was ready.  I will tell you, I have been apprehensive about all of this, but now I want to know what the blazes is going on.  I had an interesting night."

    "Really?  Tell me about it on the way to Pat's"

    We got in my car, and made our way into town.  Dani described the night she experienced.  She had returned from her outing with her friends, and had settled in to do some reading before bed.  She went on to describe that her dog, Tory, starting acting odd, and would stand at the bottom of the steps and growl.  This caught my attention, as Tory had been relatively quiet throughout the past weekend, even with the activity.  Why she started acting up now was beyond me.  Animals tend to be more sensitive to things of this nature.  Perhaps her age had something to do with it.  Dani also described going to bed, and waking up in the middle of the night, at roughly three in the morning.  She said that she woke up with this feeling that someone was near her.  When she sat up in bed, she said she saw something out of the corner of her eye that appeared to be someone standing in her doorway.  She had turned on her light, but there was no one there.  She first thought that maybe her intruder had just run off, but then realized she would have heard the footsteps and creaks in the old house.  There is no way to be quiet in there.  Dani said that Tory was in her bed the whole time with the fur on her spine on end, but she didn't growl.  She decided to get up, and just make sure her doors were locked.  After confirming her house was locked up tight, she headed back to bed, but felt a very cold mass of air about halfway up the steps.  She had gone back to bed, and didn't experience anything else for the rest of the night.

    We pulled in front of Pat's and parked the car.  Monday evenings, I found, are relatively quiet in town, and today was no exception.  At this time of the day, most people are at home having dinner.  We get out of the car, and I look at the old diner's facade.  Pat's Diner is one of those older establishments that has been around since the 1920's.  It is set in the lower level corner of one of the towns older buildings.  The layout is simple.  Rectangular, with the kitchen lining one side, and full, wall-size glass windows on both sides of the corner.  It is truly a survivor of old Americana.  Dani and I step inside.

    I instantly see Frank, and wave at him.  He waves in kind, and that is when I notice he is sitting with some other older gentlemen.  This is probably what all towns call 'The Old-Timers Club', which are a bunch of older residents who gather on a daily basis, and talk about everything from sports, to politics, to whatever gossip the sleepy town holds.  A lot of people might think that a group of women are typical gossips, but you should listen in on a group like these men.  I step up to the table and say hello to group, and Dani follows suit.

    "Gentleman, hello.  I am Mike, and I think some of you may know Danielle."

    The men all nod, and respectively say hello.  One gentleman extends his hand. "Hello, Mike, I am Tom.  I run the barber shop here in town.  Ms. Johnson, hello again."

    Dani, smiled and shook the man's hand. "Mr. Givens, a pleasure, as always.  Everything going well in your shop?"

    "As best as expected.  Not as many younger kids.  Boys love their long hair.  1970's all over again."

    "That will change, Mr Givens.  Always does."

    Frank stood up and pulled me off to the side as Dani exchanged formalities with the rest of the group.

    "Mike, I think you have noticed, by now, that we won't be talking alone.  My apologies, but these men, you will find, are going to be very helpful.  I'm afraid to say that I haven't been totally honest with you, and wanted words before we speak as a group."

    I tilted my head and gave a confused look. "Frank...what is this all about?  What do you mean?"

    Frank's shoulders slumped. "Mike, I like you, and you seem like a bright fellow.  I needed some time to speak with the others before I could explain more with you.  You see, we know about Dani's ghost.  We've known for years, but there has been no activity for awhile.  When you told me about what was going on, I knew exactly the house you were speaking of.  These men know about things too.  We will be telling the two of you what we know about the history of the house, and maybe it will help you understand more, and can help you figure out why things are happening again.  I, for one, am curious to what you have filmed."

    I shook his hand, and smiled. "Frank, what did you tell me yesterday?  No worries.  I understand, sort of.  I think we will have some intersting information to share."

    We returned to the table, and Dani had a curious look, and whispered to me as I sat down.

    "So what was that all about."

    "We are both about to find out for sure.  Trust me."

    Frank remained standing and introduced the others. "Dani, you know these men, but Mike, for your knowledge, we have Tommy Givens, which you just met.  Steve Stapers, our mayor, here.  George Flinders, who owns the lumber yard just outside of town.  Henry Peterson, a retired railroad worker, and Harold Loomis, who owns the furniture store on 7th.  We are all long time residents, and friends.  We are among the last in this town who know and are aware of the events that have occured in Ms. Johnson's home for decades."  He shifted his view to Dani.  "Danielle, my apologies, ahead of time for what we are all about to tell you.  We are the ones who have volunteered to talk about this matter with you."

    Dani just nodded quietly, and Frank continued. "I met Mike yesterday afternoon at the library, and we spoke about events that were occuring in your home.  I told him I would help get some information.  I spoke to these other men, and we agreed to speak to you both."

    I sat back, and Frank started speaking about the times when they were all boys, growing up in a small town.  They were children of the World War II era. As he got to speaking of being teenagers in the sixties, I started paying much closer attention.  Frank had the attention of everyone.

    "In 1962, a couple moved to our town.  Michael Bishop, and his wife, Katheryn.  He had been in Korea, and after the service, they moved here, and into your house, Ms. Johnson.  He worked for the railroad, and they stationed him here at the depot in town. Mostly, they were friendly, and Bishop would give tours of the trains to the kids here in town.  He was also a drunk, and after work would go have dinner, then come back to town to be at the local pub.  Katheryn would always come to the pub at the same time each night, and help Michael home.  As teenagers, we really had nothing to do but hang out in town, so we would see this every night.  Mr. Bishop was also very protective of his property.  His yard was small, but he was very good at keeping it clean and the grass cut.  Katheryn had a garden that many neighbors admired.  A lot of times, at night, some of us boys would sneak into the garden, and grab some berries, or a tomato, or whatever.  One night, we were doing that, and we heard a loud smash, and heard Bishop shouting at his wife.  At the time, we thought we had been caught red-handed, and ran out of there in a flash.  We heard that Bishop, being a drunk, would get into frequent arguements with his wife about his drinking, and would get a little rough with her.  We heard that she would not be seen for days, and when she did venture into town, she had some bruises.  My mother saw this one day, and asked her what happened.  Mrs. Bishop said she was dealing with some weeds in her garden, and had fallen. "

    I spoke up.  "And no one went after her husband for beating her?"

    Frank shrugged.  "It was a different world back then.  You didn't have police calls every night for domestic abuse.  Remember, this was the 60's in small town West Virginia.  It wasn't uncommon for a woman to get a slap here and there.  Even in public.  Now, to continue, it was after the night we were in their garden, and after a few days, Mrs. Bishop came into town to get some supplies.  My mom said she had a black eye, and so mom had her sit for coffee...right here, as a matter of fact.  Long story short, Mrs. Bishop was pregnant, and her husband wasn't very pleased.  They were barely getting by, and the news of a new mouth to feed made Bishop even more of a drunk.  In the latest fight, Katheryn expressed concerns of his drinking money with what they would need for a child.    He got angry, and threw a lamp at her, and that is where she got a black eye, supposedly.  Katheryn wanted a divorce, but they were both Catholic, and she felt trapped.  She went home, but told my mom that she would find a way to make it all stop.

    A week later, neighbors heard shouting coming from the house, but then it settled down soon after.  In the early morning hours, the next door neighbor heard a loud pop from the Bishop's house.  He called the police, because he said it sounded like a gunshot.  When the police arrived, no one answered the door, so they broke down the door, and found a nasty scene in the main bedroom...in the back of the house.  Mr. Bishop was found halfway fallen into the closet.  Katheryn was nowhere to be found.  There was a revolver on the floor near Mr. Bishop's body.  What was odd was that Mr. Bishop was kind of wrapped in an area rug.  Police suspected that Mrs. Bishop had finally been fed up with the beatings and shot her husband after forcing him to wrap the rug around himself.  The police figured she was such a neat freak that she didn't want blood spilling onto the floor.  There was a manhunt, but she was never found.  She got away with murder,basically.  That was basically it until a few years later when the occurances started happening."

    Dani's eyes were tearing up.  I just sat there with an open jaw, listening intently to the conversation.  The other gentlemen gave their accounts as well.  Frank continued talking about seeing a figure in the window at times as he passed the house, and the others had similar stories.  Other families had come and gone with the house, but all moved out within a year of living there, complaining of noises, and feeling like strangers in their own home.  Eventually, the rumors spread, and the home was deemed unsellable.  An investment group eventually came in and started to tear down adjacent homes to build larger ones.  They ran out of funds after the newer house next to Dani's was built.  Her house, and the rest down the block, were spared.  Over recent years, people started buying the homes as fixer-uppers, including Danielle.  As Frank was wrapping up the history of the house, a man walked into the diner.  The other men glanced his way, and nodded, as the new arrival came over and took a seat.  Frank spoke to him.

    "Ralph.  It is good to see you could make it.  This is Mike, and you know Ms. Johnson.  Folks, this is Ralph Gunderson "

    Ralph half stood then sat back down. "Hello, it is nice to see both of you.  I'm sorry that I am late.  I had my reservations about coming here."

    I responded. "Not a problem, Mr Gunderson.  We have heard quite an account of your younger years, and about Dani's house.  Do you have anything of your own to add?"

    Ralph looked pale, but he took a drink of water and spoke.  "I was mayor here once.  I brought in the investers to clean the block up and take down the houses, well after the last family moved out of Ms. Johnson's house.  They were becoming an eyesore, and no one wanted to move into a 'spookhouse'."

    Frank asked Ralph,"...and what else, Ralph?"

    Ralph shot Frank a glance.  "Well, if it must be known...I was the last owner of that house before Danielle moved in a decade later.  I felt what that house had, and would see shadows that shouldn't be there, and noises I could not explain...like voices."

    I nodded, and spoke up.  "Thank you Ralph.  I can understand that was difficult for you.  But I have a few questions.  Why was Danielle not told of these events?  Has anyone reopened the case to maybe see if Mrs. Bishop is still alive and living nearby with a new name?  A search might find record of a pregnant woman moving into a town somewhere not too far away."

    It was Ralph who answered.  "I thought about it when I was in office, but under advisement, it was left be.  There was no sense in dredging up the past.  What was done was done, and that is when I decided to get the house in that area levelled.  It is easy to get lost, so to speak, in a small town up here."

    Dani took a turn at speaking.  "Personally, I am not angry at having that secret kept from me.  I wouldn't have been turned away by a murder from decades ago.  I bought the house to renovate.  The ghost portion, however, might have been good to know about."

    "We don't pay much mind to ghosts around here".  Tom chimed in.  "We have them all over.  A lot of history of death and war around here.  People see and hear things all the time, but nothing has really come of it.  You just accept it over the years.  When Frank told us about you, Mike, I was concerned about a throng of press people coming and turning this into an embarrassment for all of us.  However, in light of what we have been told about recent occurances, I, for one, agreed this was the right thing to do for Ms. Johnson."

    I nodded, and thought over everything that had been said in the last hour.  Now the stage is mine, and did I have a show for everyone in this little diner.

    "Well, gentlemen.  As you may now know, I have been taking video and audio of the room in question, and I have some amazing, and also, some odd results.  I have everything on my computer, so I will set things up, and I will show you what I have captured."

    I set the computer up on the counter, facing the tables where everyone is seated.  The owner has closed the diner to anyone else who might happen to step by, and pulled all the blinds.  Even Shelby took a break from her cleaning and took a seat to see what I had to present.

    "I do want to say that I am very surprised at the findings I have uncovered.  I have been doing this at times over the years, but I have never found anything quite like what I have from the past few days.  As we go over this footage, I may even find something else.  Your accounts this evening have added some thoughts to what I thought I was seeing and hearing in reviewing this.  So if everyone is ready, I will show you what I have."

    Everyone nodded, and Ralph gave a knowing frown that I caught immediately.  I will have to speak to him more.    I clicked the playback button icon on my screen, and everyone focused their attentions.



It  took me a couple of hours to get through all the video and also enhance everything with audio that I had of the events from the last several days.  I even replayed some of the more interesting parts of the video just so that I could enhance what it was that everyone was seeing on the footage..

    "Well folks, I know you may have a lot of questions, and we will answer them, but I want you all to sit here and think about what I have shown you for a few minutes.  I know a lot of what you see looks like smoke and mirrors, but with this footage you really have to have good timing, and be very lucky to be able to capture some of the images that have captured."  I spoke as I was locating the part of the video that showed the hallway from the initial footage.

    The group was talking amongst themselves, as I got the portion of the video ready that I wanted them to see again.

    Ralph was silent and thinking to himself, and that did not escape my attention.  Either there was something he  knew, or had seen something, that stirred a memory.  In either case, I needed to know what it was that he was thinking at this particular point in time.  I slid a pad of paper over to him.

    "Mr. Gunderson, if you would please write down what you are thinking at this point, and I will come back to that in a moment or two."

    I had whispered this to him, and he just nodded at me, then started writing something down on the pad of paper that I gave him.  I found the part of the video that I was looking for and got everybody's attention on me again.

    "Okay everyone this is the part that I want to show to you again."  I said calmly. " I will play this part in a slower motion so that you can see exactly what it is that you were suspecting you saw before."

      After adjusting the settings to half speed, I clicked on the playback button. In this portion of the video, the camera was set up in the upper hallway, pointing towards the door that led to the backroom.  There was a cloud or mist that looked like the trick one makes when using water and dry ice.  As this cloud slowly rolled across the floor, in the hallway,  it would come in and out of frame, at times, and at one point was very close to the camera.  In this particular portion, the frame rate was slow enough to be able to make out a face in the cloud at its closest vantage point.  I paused the video at this point in looked at everybody.  Mr. Peterson had a shocked look on his face, and it was he that spoke up.

    "That's Bishop...I would know that face anywhere.  It is unmistakable.  This can't be real, but you have him right there on tape."

      Everyone else looked around at each other and nodded.  Ralph was rubbing his temples. Frank just looked at me and slightly nodded his approval.  Now it was his turn to speak.

    "Mike in other portions of the video of the hallway, the mist seems to form a more human shape and seems to go from room to room, including some footage where you and Danielle are in bed,  where it just stands outside the door  appearing to just look at you."

    I nodded.  "Yes,  I agree.  It does seem to move from room to room, and after a while it heads back into the back room.  This next portion that I show you will be where I shot video inside the room, and I want to show you what I found, using the same slow-motion playback. So give me a moment, please."

      Mr. Loomis sat up a little bit straighter, and had said that this was the part that he wanted to look at again.  It did not take long, and everyone was ready and eager for me to hit the playback button. 

    "So everyone, you can see where the bins are stacked in the corner.  Danielle said that she did not move those bins.  These were the scraping noises we heard.  Now I'm going to play back this video at normal speed, where we can hear the voices, and I want you to pay attention, because there are two separate voices . One male and one female.  And then I want you to gather your thoughts on those."

      Everyone agreed that they had heard two different voices, and then everybody equally seemed to share my confusion as to why there were two different voices.  Especially the female voice.

      Tommy asked the question that everybody wanted to ask. "Why would there be a female voice?  Mrs. Bishop ran away."

    " I was wondering about this too,  and I have no explanation.  I was hoping maybe somebody here would."  I said.

      The mayor, Steve Stapers, offered a theory.  "Maybe Katheryne passed away,  and because it was her true home, she came back."

      Everyone nodded, but it didn't seem to me that that would be possible. I have never heard of anyone passing away, and coming back to another place,  but at the same time I could not discredit the possibility.  Stranger things have happened.  I went ahead and qeued up the video of a brief session where I had left the camera inside the room alone.

      Playing at half-speed, the footage showed a dark stain forming on the floor, then a mist forming from the middle of the stain, creating a human-like shape.  The footage was very brief, because the shape came close to the camera, and at that point the camera's playback went to a static filled screen.  I played the footage back at normal speed.  Mr. Loomis leaned over to Mr. Stapers, and spoke with a hint of concern in his voice.

    "Steve, I think you need to call the State Police."

      Steve had a confused look on his face, and asked, "What is it?  What are you talking about Harry?"

      Loomis answered, "Because I have a feeling I know why there is a female voice on the playback,  and I think we better explore every option available to us.  I will contact Sheriff Woods, and see if the evidence from the Bishop case  is still available."

    Ralph shook his head, but he also said,  "Everything should still be there.  It was sealed up, but it should still be there.  When I was still in office, I made sure to have everything put away, but I wanted to make sure that everything was still there.  You never know when you need to open up a cold case."

      The Mayor nodded and agreed.  "Yes, everything should still be there. I never ordered anything moved."

      Harry  shrugged his shoulders.  "Still I want to make sure, so let's get ahold of the state boys."

      It was late, and everybody seemed to take this as a cue to disband our meeting, leaving me confused.  I grabbed Frank's shoulder to ask him what was going on.

    "Frank what is this all about?  Why are we calling State?"

      Frank shook his head.  "I'm not sure but Harry was once the Sheriff  here, and was a deputy at the time of the Bishop case.  Apparently, he saw something that triggered the detective in him,  and I think we better trust his instincts.  We will call you soon, Mike, and let you know what we find out.  But for now we old folks need to get some rest. Good evening to you.  Danielle, have a good night."



    Outside of the diner, Dani and I walked to her car in silence.  What was I missing that Mr. Loomis picked up on?  It was very confusing to me, and I continued to shake my head.

    Danielle shook my arm slightly and said, "Hey.  Don't worry.  From what Ralph told me afterwards, Harry did a great job for the county, and the Bishop case was one that always bugged him.  Something in the video footage must have made something click."

    "Yes, I get that, but why not share what he is thinking?"

    "I don't know.  Maybe he just wants to be sure he is right.  Just relax.  We'll know what's going on soon enough.  So I suggest we leave my car in town, and walk to my house.  We'll get Chinese on the way there.  The fresh air will help us both."

    I couldn't help but agree, and we did just as she suggested.  The Chinese food was cheap, but tasty, and Dani's dog, Tory, did her best to try to convince us that she had not eaten, EVER, in her life.  My mood had settled, and soon Dani and I had cuddled up, kissing, and not even noticing the television.  Or Tory, who decided it was a good idea to help clean up after dinner.



    Waking up was hard.  I had to get up early, drive home, change, then go to work.  I was tired, but a few cups of coffee got me kick-started.  I spent the day distracted by my thoughts,and by the time I got home, those distractions started giving hints of frustration and anger.  I didn't like being kept in the dark about what was going on, or why the West Virginia State Police needed to be called for a ghost.  What did Harry see?  I can't believe he saw something that I didn't see.  I will have to call Frank and find out what I can.

    I opened the Contacts list on my phone and found Frank's number.  It rang a few times, then went to voicemail.  So now what?  I left Frank a message, then prepped my dinner.  I would just have to call him back after I eat.

    I sit to eat, and as I get the fork to my mouth, the phone rings.  Well, that's okay, I didn't need that forkfull.  It rather looks nice plastered to the wall.  Shaking my head, I answer my phone as I go to grab a wet sponge from the sink.

    "Hello?  Yes, this is Mike.  Yes, Mr. Loomis.  Sure, sure, I can meet up with you tomorrow.  Can you tell me just what is...what?  Yes.  What time?  Yes.  No problem, I will see you then.  Goodbye."

    That was odd. Harry wants me to meet him at the diner tomorrow, and to bring my laptop to go over some of the footage once again.  I still wish he had told me what was going on, but there was no need to push him.  I'll do that when I meet up with him.  He owes me that much.

    Later in the evening, I sat in my bed with my laptop looking over the footage that seemed to interest Loomis the most.  The stain with the mist forming.  I watch it over and over again.

    "What am I missing here?  Dammit!"

    I close my laptop, and settle into bed.  My dreams are filled with the mist forming, and the female voice saying over and over, 'No~stop~no'.  In my dream, I am standing in the room looking for the source of the voice.  As I turn around, I see Mr. Bishop standing in front of me reaching to grab me.  His scowl and his dead fish eyes burn into me.

I awaken in a cold sweat, but the image remains.  It is going to be a long night.





Sitting in Pat's Diner, I start to do some people watching.  It is easy to tell that I am a stranger to the rest of the patrons.  I arrived well early of my meeting time with Harold Loomis, owner of a furniture store on 7th street, and former county Sheriff.  I hope that I will get some answers to why he wanted the State Police involved with this ghost situation.  Considering that he and the others wanted very little attention, bringing in the State boys seemed to be the wrong way to go about that.  It is obvious that Loomis saw something that hit a key nerve within him.  Frank had told me to trust Loomis' instincts.  That still didn't make me comfortable, not knowing what Loomis' thoughts were.  I notice a mother and her three young kids finishing a quick meal, and saying goodbye to Shelby, the long time server of the diner.  I go back to my laptop, and get the footage ready that Loomis wanted to go over again.  He should be arriving in the next few minutes.



    Dani waits patiently for her tea to steep on the kitchen counter.  Her thoughts drift on her artwork.  She has been doing a charcoal sketch of a couple that she met in town a week ago.  They heard about her artwork, and had asked her to do a sketch that they could frame for their home.  They provided her with a picture she could use for the sketch.  Tory was at her feet fidgeting around, even more so than normal.

    "What is your problem, girl?  Wanting a treat, are we?  I think I give you way too many as it is.  You are going to end up looking like Michael's cat!"

    She gives Tory a treat anyway.  That might settle her for a bit.  Tory sets the treat on the floor, and looks up at Dani, whining.

    "What is the matter with you, honey?  Do you need to go out to the yard?"

    Dani walks over to the door that leads to the backyard, and opens it.  Tory bolts outside without hesitation, leaving Dani shaking her head.

    "Getting old, and getting a smaller bladder, silly pup."

    Dani returns to her tea, and removes the mesh ball of leaves that were steeping.  She takes a sip to make sure it is the way she likes it, then heads to the front room bay window.  Dani sets the tea down on the little side table, and sits in the small stool in front of her easel.  Settling into her seat, she takes a long sip of her tea with her eyes closed.  She feels the warmth of the tea down her throat, and takes a deep breath.  She sets the teacup back down, and grabs a small piece of charcoal, then turns to her sketch.  She makes an audible gasp.

    "Oh, what the Hell?"

    She slumps as she notices her sketch.  She had been working on it for days, and she had the main body of it finished.  She just needed to work in the shading for a few hours, and it would be done.  What she had in front of her angered her.  She had a typical scene of a couple in front of a few trees, smiling and in embrace.  Only now, the sketch was ruined by a couple of stray red chalk marks.  She put her head in her hands and groaned.

    "Dammit, how did this happen?"

    She looked up at the drawing, trying to figure out if she could manage to remove the red chalk.  As she examined it, her frustration turned to dread, as she noticed what she was seeing.  The red chalk was on the drawing in a few thick slashes.  She poked at the chalk with a small brush, and some of the chalk fell off in chunks.  One slash of red was along the woman's chest, and another smaller slash was along the chin of the man.  A third larger slash was at the woman's feet.  The slashes reminded her of blood, and she stood up, backing away from the easel.  A very loud thump emanated from upstairs.

    "Jesus!" Dani exhaled, as she ran back to the kitchen to get Tory.

    Tory was still outside when Dani got to the backyard.  Tory was standing prone with the hair on her back on end, looking up to the windows of the back room.  Tory growled and started to shuffle in place.

    "C'mon girl.  We're going for a walk.  Let's get out of here for a bit."

    Dani leashed her dog, and led her to the back gate, then on to the alleyway behind the row of houses.

    Unseen by Dani, a grey shadow is in the window of the upstairs back room.



      I take a drink of my water as Harold Loomis walks in to the diner.  I stand up and shake his hand as he reaches the booth.

    "Hello, Mr. Loomis.  Thank you for inviting me up."

    Loomis nods.  "You're welcome, and please call me Harry."

    "Okay, Harry, thank you.  I have the video at the point you wanted to see.  Can you please fill me in on what you are looking for, or have already seen?"

    Harry motions for Shelby, who is already approaching with a cup of coffee.  Shelby knows her regulars, and is always ready.  Harry thanks her and turns his attentions back to me.

    "Mike, I had wrapped my head over the Bishop murder for years when I was a Deputy for the county.  Something never seemed right or clear cut for me.  Sure, on paper, it seemed simple.  A man is abusive and neglectful of his wife.  She is disgruntled, and concerned for the marriage and the coming child.  She finally has enough, and shoots her husband, then heads for the hills, apparantly pleased that she can start a new life.  Not being able to find the woman isn't a surprise.  In 1960's West Virginia, it is easy to disappear to another town, or into the mountains, especially here in the Eastern Panhandle.  I always kept my attentions on the town, and its people.  I figured the old notion of 'returning to the scene of the crime' would play out, and I might catch a glimpse of Mrs. Bishop one day.  I was always prepared for that, and even had my deputies on the lookout when I was Sheriff.  We never saw her again, and I always thought we, maybe, had just missed her.  Still, it didn't feel like that is what had happened.  In my opinion, of course.  The case was long cold, and I was under pressure to just drop it from the Mayor and the county officials.  Now then, please show me the video again.  I think I have some thoughts."

    I nodded, quietly, and started the footage.  This video was from the session where Dani and I stormed into the room to try and capture an image.  I let it play while Harry peered intently at the footage.  It wasn't long before he asked me to pause the playback.

    "Okay...go back about ten seconds and slow the playback down a bit"

    I did so, and Harry had me stop at a specific spot.

    I inquired of him, "What do you see?"

    He pointed at a spot in the room.

    "Right there, you see that blurred spot?  It is right before you turned towards the closet, and felt whatever presence you felt."

    I nodded and replied.  "Yes, I see it.  It could just be a blur caused by the nightvision setting.  It is too brief to be certain."

    "True, but if that is a ghost on your footage, then the next playback will help me in my theory."

    My face showed confusion as my next question came out of my mouth.  "Which is what, Harry?"

    "Just play the video first, please", Harry replied.

    My patience was finding its first frays, but I kept myself calm in hopes that I would soon find out what Loomis was getting at.  I played the session where the camera was left alone in the room, and focused to have most of the room in frame at the vantage point of entering the room at the door.  This is the footage where the shadow or stain forms in the middle of the floor, and the greyish mist rises up to create a human-like shape.  Harry has me replay the sequence three times, then sits back as the screen shows static from when the shape approached the camera.

    I speak up, as Harry is deep in thought. "What is it?  What do you see that I am missing?"

    Harry leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table.  "The one thing that puzzled me, Mike, is Mr. Bishop being wrapped up in the rug when we found his body in the closet.  Mrs. Bishop was a very tidy woman, and kept her house very clean.  It was suggested that she forced Mr. Bishop to wrap himself in the rug before she shot him.  That way, his blood would not splatter around the room.  It seemed plausible that she was concerned enough about her cleaning that she did this.  Either she was a bit of a nut about cleanliness, or she planned it out that way.  I think the former, because she was not a very bright woman.  However, if she was concerned about how clean the room would be, then why run away, knowing she could never return to the house?  Seems like a lot of effort to me."

    I agreed.  "True, that does seem to be a lot of work for her to just run away.  And I would imagine that Mr. Bishop was the type of man who would just rush at her to get to the gun, and she would have shot him, anyway, if his timing was off.  It is something I had thought of before, but didn't really make much of it.  That still doesn't make sense of what you see in the video. What else are you not telling me?"

    Harry nodded and replied.  "Yes.  I apologize.  I am still a cop at heart.  Always will be.  When something comes up, I will keep a lid on things in order to not have my theory interrupted until I am ready to report my findings.  Now, on this video session, we see that the storage bins have been moved and stacked in the corner, allowing the middle of the floor to be clear, right?"

    I silently nodded as he continued.

    "So why?  Why would Dani's house ghost want to do that?  You both said there was a feeling of dread in the room.  Like you were not welcome.  So why would an angry ghost move things around like that.  Why not throw everything around and make a mess?  Why be so...neat?  And the shadow or stain that forms?  The mist coming out of that stain.  What do you make of that?"

    I started to get where he was coming from, but let him continue.  Loomis had a sharp mind, and I started to feel foolish for what I hadn't seen myself.  I nodded my understanding as he continued to speak.  I didn't want to interupt him now.

    "Yes, you are starting to realize what I have been thinking, I believe.  The audio you captured was enough for me to focus more on the video footage.  There are two ghosts in that room.  Mrs. Bishop is the other ghost.  The footage shows it."

    I spoke with my own realization.  "Yes, there are two different voices on audio.  I guess she loved that house so much that her ghost came back to stay there.  It's an odd theory, but that is possible, I suppose."

    Harry tilted his head slightly.  "True, but there is still another you haven't hit on yet."

    Now I was confused again.  "Another what, Harry?"

    "The possibility that Mrs. Bishop never left that house.  I always had the notion that where someone dies is where a ghost might remain.  She might have loved the house, but she never loved her life there.  The spot that forms on the floor is the key to my suspicions."

    I was happy to know more, but I still felt I was missing something.

    "You mean the shadow where the apparation appears?  Why is that a key?"

    Harry leaned forward and spoke low.  "Think on it, Mike.  Come up with every angle possible, no matter how insane it might seem.  For now, let's leave it at that until Saturday.  I called in a favor to one of my former deputies, who is now a supervisor with the State Police.  Once we get a report, we will all meet again here, and I will hopefully clear all of this up."

    Shaking my head, I replied, "Report?  What report?"

    Harry smiled thinly.  "Saturday, Mike.  I will let you all in on everything on Saturday.  Trust me, it is worth the wait."

    "C'mon, Harry! This is getting to be too much for me.  Just tell me what you..."

    At this moment, a loud smack on the front door diverted our attentions, and we both turned to see what made the noise.  Dani rushed in with Tory on her leash.  She hurried to our booth, and spoke, nearly out of breath.

    "I remembered that you two would be here.  Something has happened..."



Saturday morning.  My alarm goes off, but I have been awake for nearly a half an hour anyway.  I have been on my back, staring at the ceiling, deep in thought.  I reach over, switch my alarm off, then continue to just stare at nothing, really.  Later on, I will be meeting with everyone, and will hopefully get all the answers to the questions that have consumed me for the last several days.  My dreams have been reflecting my thoughts, and it has been a string of long nights, interrupted by images of apparitions.

    Earlier in the week, when I was meeting with Harry Loomis, Dani had burst into the diner to tell us about the sketch she was working on, and the noises that were present in her house.  Her dog, Tory, had been acting up more and more, and now won't go upstairs at all.  That day, I walked Dani back to her house, and got to see the charcoal sketch that had been marred with the red chalk.  The original intent of the sketch was to show a happy couple at their property.  In looking at the red smudges of chalk, the sketch turned into something a bit more macabre.  It was not difficult to see the red as being blood, and it didn't take me long to correlate the image to the Bishop couple.  Was it a warning?  Dani said she could fix the sketch, but it would take a long time to painstakingly remove the red chalk.  I snapped a picture of the sketch on my phone, then downloaded it to my computer to get a closer look at it.

    I get out of bed, and after a long shower, I get dressed and open my laptop.  I pull up the picture of the sketch and zoom in to examine the red smudges.  Whether or not my mind was playing tricks on me, the smudges appeared to me like a slash along the woman's image, and on the man, the chalk looked as if the chalk was smashed straight into his image.  Along the feet of the woman, the smudging looked like a pool of red.  Regardless, it was a disturbing image.  I zoom back out to the full image, and stare at it for who knows how long.  My thoughts are interrupted by the tone of a text message coming through on my phone.  Opening the message, I see that it is an e-mail notification marked "Urgent".  I go back to my laptop, and see the e-mail on my list in the inbox.  The message is from a Thomas Jeebs.  The name seems very familiar to me, but I can't seem to place it at the moment.  I'll look at it later.  Might just be some politician looking for a donation.

    I get all my stuff packed for the trip to West Virginia, and head out the door.  The sky is overcast, and I can hear the rumblings of thunder in the distance.  We are in for a wet day, as the remnants of a hurricane will cover the area today.  Seems like a surreal setting for what this day promises to hold for me.  As I drive away from my house, the sky opens up.



    It takes longer than normal, but I get to Shepherdstown still early enough to spend some time with Dani before we go to the diner.  The rain never let up, and I took extra care to the drive through the mountains.  The trip takes me along Route 9, and goes through some beautiful areas.  Small towns and villages are along the road, and at some point, I will take time to visit each one for my photography hobby.  The larger of towns is Charles Town, West Virginia, known for its horsetrack and casino.  I have taken in a few races, and have hit the slots, but the town offers a lot more.  It will be a nice destination for exploring its history someday.

    I pull up up front of Dani's house, and she is at the open door waiting.  I get out into the rain, and open my passenger door for her.  Surprisingly, she has Tory with her, and they both run out to get in my car.  I close the door,go back around and get in.  A quick smooch with Dani, and I give Tory a good scratching behind her ear.

    "I hope you don't mind Tory coming with us.  She has been so agitated in the house the past few days, and I would rather not leave her alone," Dani explained.

    "Not at all, hun.  She can nap in the back seat while we meet with everyone.  She could use a little peace and quiet."

    We drive down to the diner, and get parked.  We are an hour early, but that is by design.  We have not been able to spend some time with each other in past few days, and a nice breakfast with some coffee will be good for both of us.  I have been concerned for her well being, living in that house, but apart from noises and sensations, she really hasn't been bothered.  She is a strong woman, and she is determined to not be scared out of her home.  It will be interesting to see how the artist in her will transform the home with renovations.  Still, my concerns are there.

    "So have you made any progress in repairing your sketch?"

    Dani nodded. "Yes, I picked up some dental picks from the drug store, and have been slowly picking the red chalk off.  Any residue that remains might be fixed with some shading.  Well...that is my hope anyway.  I could have started over, but I just feel it would not look quite the same."

    I sighed and replied.  "Yes, when I used to do a lot of drawing I would try to recreate or improve on a drawing, but it never had the same look.  Listen, I will be honest.  I am concerned for you in that..."

    "Let's just have our breakfast.  I really want to not think of things there for a bit."

    I nodded. "Okay.  Sorry.  Yes, let's just enjoy the moment we have."



      After breakfast, Dani stepped out to take Tory for a short walk, while I stayed in the diner, and got things ready on my laptop for the next meeting with everyone.  It is my hope that Loomis will finally have something concrete, and whatever secret he is holding back will finally come to the surface.  The rain has let up for a bit, but it will only be a matter of time before more comes.  The forecast has strong storms coming up from the South.

    Dani returns, and steps back in with Frank holding the door for her.  They both come over to the table and have a seat.  Frank motions Shelby for a coffee, and shakes hands with me.

    "Mike, how are you today?"

    "I'm well, Frank, and you?"

    Frank shrugs.  "Old.  That's my standard answer, these days.  But don't let that fool you."

    We both chuckle, and the three of us make small talk for the next few minutes.  Soon, the other folks in our little group start to arrive and get thier coffees.  It isn't long, and nearly everyone is gathered together.  The last to arrive are Harry and the town Mayor, Steve Stapers.  Stapers looked agitated, but after some handshakes and greetings his mood seemed to shift to a more calm demeanor.  Loomis remained standing, and addressed the group.

    "Good afternoon everyone.  I want to apologize for my secrecy in things, first off.  Mike, if you will bring up the video you have with the stain and mist forming on the floor and show it to us again, I would like for everyone to see that once more."

    I did as Loomis asked, and we watched the replay of the footage again.  Loomis asked for another playback, and to pause where the mist became more human shaped.

    "Okay, everyone.  What do we have?  We see this shadowy mist rise up out of a stain or shadow that forms and spreads out on the floor, correct?"

    Ralph, the former mayor speaks up.  "Yes, we have all seen the shadow appear as the mist forms shape.  We have seen it several times now.  I guess that makes the mist seem more solid to throw a shadow?"

    Frank leans forward and replies for Harry.  "No.  There would have to be a source of light above the mist to create that kind of shadow.  And I do not think the night vision on Mike's camcorder would cause that, am I correct?"

    I nodded in agreement.  "Yes, that's right.  The night vision setting only amplifies whatever ambient light is present.  The green tint is the only effect, and would not throw any source of light to create a shadow.  I suppose there might have been just enough light to create a shadow that the night vision picked up."

    Harry shook his head.  "Possible, but again, as Frank pointed out, the light source would have to be overhead, and we see nothing to suggest that.  Let's see...okay, here..."

    Harry grabs his coffee cup off of the saucer, and slowly pours a bit of coffee on the dish from straight over it.

    "...hmm...no, that isn't what I was looking for.  Shelby, can you bring me a small plate, and some maple syrup?"

    After a few moments, Shelby returns from the kitchen, and hands Harry the plate and syrup container.  Harry sets the plate down and continues.

    "Okay.  Watch closely, and think about this really hard everyone"

    Harry opened the top of the syrup container and held it over the plate about six inches above the center.  He slowly tipped the opening until syrup started to pour out.  It slowly came out, and as it hit the plate it spread out evenly at first, but the pool of syrup, being viscous, started to spread out in an uneven blob as it got larger.  We all stared at this until Harry stopped the pour.  He stood back and crossed his arms as the syrup finished spreading out on the plate.

    "Is anyone starting to get it?"

    It was Dani who broke the silence the rest of us had.  "Blood.  The syrup is spreading out like blood would.  I put some red paint in a dish for one of my paintings once, and it made me think of pooling blood.  Harry, do you think the shadow we see represents blood"

    Harry was showing his approval with a slight smirk.  "Exactly, Miss Johnson.  It is the first thought that came to me when I saw the video."

    I spoke up as opened a picture on my laptop, "I think that helps explain the red marks on Dani's sketch that appeared several days ago.  They looked like blood to my eyes."

    The others all nodded agreement, and then Ralph spoke up.  "Okay, okay.  Yes, there would be blood.  So Mrs. Bishop shoots Mr. Bishop, and he falls to the floor at that spot.  She wraps him in the rug, and it is easier for her to slide him over to try and hide him in the closet.  She finds it difficult with his size and weight, is running out of time, so she abandons her plan, and takes off running.  I still don't see why this needed to involve the State Police."

    Harry sighed, then explained himself.  "I know.  But let's not forget that there are two voices we hear, and there do seem to be two ghosts.  We needed to know how that is possible, so I called my friend with the State Police, and ordered a DNA test on the rug that we still had with the evidence on this case.  Mayor Stapers was kind enough to release the evidence, and I drove it to the lab myself.  We didn't have that luxury back then, but after what we have seen and heard lately, I just had to confirm or debunk some of my own suspicions."

    It was my turn.  "And what exact suspicions are you referring to Harry?"

    Harry leaned on the table with both hands, and scanned us all as we all looked for an answer.

    "That Mrs. Bishop is, indeed, the other ghost.  That she, too, died there on that same night."

    Everyone started murmuring amongst themselves, and I continued to question Harry for the group.

    "And the DNA test.  What did the report say?"

    "The DNA from the blood matched the DNA from the hair samples of Mr. Bishop.  I had them take spot samples from all over the rug.  They found some DNA in a patch of blood that did not match.  In other words, there were two different blood types found."

    Frank took a long sip of his coffee and spoke his mind.  "Are you saying that they were both murdered?  If so, what happened to Mrs. Bishop's body?"

    Loomis shrugged. "That I am not sure, but it seems possible.  They may have both been murdered, and the killer might have only had time to remove one body, but no one at the time remembered seeing any strange car, or anyone on the streets at any time near the sound of the gunshot.  Also only one round was fired, so how would a killer have done the other murder?  There are a lot of question marks with it.  But then, I remembered something else, and I got permission from the current Sheriff to open the cold case files.  I found the original crime scene photographs from that night.  They are in black and white, but they still tell a lot."

    Harry set out a group of four pictures in front of us to examine.  "Now the Sheriff has asked for these back, so please be careful, and not handle these too much.  So, what we have are pictures of the room, and of Mr. Bishop in the rug where we found him in the closet.  So take a moment to look those over, and my apologies for any weak stomachs.  It is rather gruesome I know."

    After a few minutes, Harry continued.  "Okay, so now you have seen those.  So let me show you all a picture from the local newspaper that ran on a weekly basis back then.  Mrs. Bishop tended a very nice garden, if you will remember, and she won some praise from the local gardening club.  There were pictures taken, and a small article written about her.  If you notice, there is one picture taken of her sitting in a wooden chair in the room upstairs where Mr. Bishop's body was found.  So please take a moment to look at that."

    After a few minutes, I saw what Loomis was showing us.  Frank saw it too.  It was he who spoke.

    "It's the rug.  In the newspaper picture we see the rug at her feet where she is sitting.  That is the rug where Mr. Bishop was wrapped up.  You can see the matching striped pattern.  In the crime scene pictures the rug on the floor is a solid color.  Are you suggesting the rug was replaced?"

    Ralph shook his head as he spoke.  "Could be coincidence, though.  No real evidence to suggest that.  Nothing beyond some pictures and some ghost videos.  The rug could have been replaced before that night."

    Loomis couldn't help but to agree.  "Yes, there is not much more than speculation.  With that, I called in another favor, and need to ask you, Danielle, for a favor, as well."

    Dani nodded.  "Sure, Harry.  What is it?"

    "My friend sent two of his crime scene experts down here today.  They are at the Sheriff's office waiting.  If it is okay with you, they would like to examine the room in your house."

    Confused, Dani answered.  "Sure.  I'm not sure what that will help, but I am fine with that."

    "Thank you.  I would like us to meet at Dani's house in half an hour, and continue there.  Thank you everyone."

    With some confusion present, we all got up from our seats and started for our cars.  Dani and I would be the first back to the house, and I wanted to have my equipment set up in the room.  Whatever the crime scene experts were going to do would surely stir up the ghosts, and there might be a chance for some interesting footage.  Dani and I got into my car, and we set off for her house.  Dani asked what was already on my mind.

    "What do you think they might be looking for?"

    I wish I had had a good answer, but offered the best I could.  "I'm not sure, but my guess is that with advanced modern training, and newer technology, maybe they can piece together the events of that night better.  Okay, here we are.  I'll make some coffee while you clean up a bit for your guests."

    "And some tea, please.  I need to calm my nerves some."





I have the coffee brewing, and just put the tea kettle on the gas burner, when the first knock comes at the front door.  Dani calls out that she has the door, so I go back to the kitchen and start getting out cups for the guests we have coming.  My phone vibrates on my hip, so I set the last cup down and check my phone.  It is a text from Frank.

    'Do not mention ghosts to the CS examiners.  Harry wants to keep a lid on that to not look like a fool.'

    That is understandable.  Harry probably told his friends that he had a new lead on a cold case, and was working the angle that way.  Well, no worries.  I will still have my camera up there in the room that is above this very kitchen.  I'll just say I am taking pictures and video for Dani, as a sort of history of the house album thing.  However, if things happen as I think they might, then the examiners might have an extra story to tell when they see their friends.  I head to the front room to meet up with Dani, and see who has already arrived.  Everyone seems to be arriving within seconds of themselves, and I see the two examiners coming up the sidewalk.  They have some dufflebags that probably holds their equipment.  Harry is the last to enter.  Dani is asking everyone who wants coffee or tea, and offers her front room for seating.  The examiners decline, and ask her if they can go upstairs.  I offer to lead them up.

    "Up this way gentlemen.  Once we go in the door, do be careful.  There is a single step down into the room, and I don't want anyone to trip.  I'm going to be shooting some video and photos if you don't mind.  Danielle likes to have things that happen here to be documented as she does her renovations.  It is sort of a video scrapbook, if you will."

    The first examiner answer back.  "No, sir, not a problem.  These old homes should have been documented throughout time.  You never know if your house becomes eligible for the Historical Registry.  If we could have a copy of any footage, we can use that for training."

    "Sure, yes, no problem," I answered back.

    I open the door, and the musty old smell wafts the three of us.  I hear more footfalls on the stairs, and see Frank and Harry walking up.  The have decided to remain downstairs for the time being.  I smile at them, and continue into the room.  Soon, the five of us are in the room, and I do my best to stay to the back of the room by the windows, and out of the way of the CS examiners.  Frank stands near me, with his arms crossed, and Harry is with the examiners talking them through the scenes of that night when Mr. Bishop was found.

    "Yes, so we found the body here in the closet.  Also, this is the spot of the floor where I told you the rugs were in the pictures I showed you on the way over here."

    I set the video camera up, and started taking pictures with the still camera I also had on hand.  One examiner was inside the closet, and the other was walking around the spot on the floor where the rugs were.  My video camera was set where it could capture the majority of the room, so I stepped around a bit to photograph the goings on in the room.  The guy working the closet steps backward out of it.

    "Nothing to tell in there.  It's cold though.  Might be an air-conditioning hole leaking air into there.  This place is under extensive renovations right?"

    I answered him as I snapped a lot of pictures in the closet, where he described.

    "Yes, she is having a lot of work done.  I will tell her she might need to check the ventilation ducting."

    It started to get darker, and as I looked to the window, Frank was peering out, and looking at the sky.

    "Big storm coming.  Clouds are very black."

    I mumbled, "Perfect.  Just what we need."

    I turned on the light, and stepped over to where Harry was motioning to the examiner about the floor.  I listened as he described the differences between the pictures, and how the rug was wrapped around Mr. Bishop when they found him that night.  The examiner nodded, and ran his hands along the wood floor at that spot.  The other guy was writing in his little notebook.  Hopefully, he wasn't writing down that this was a waste of time for them.  I turned away from him, and back to Harry's conversation.

    "Yes, the rugs were both right here.  I think Mr. Bishop might have been shot and fell here, then was dragged by the rug to the closet.  Under the current thoughts, we think they were both shot here, but her body was never found or seen again."

    The examiner pulls a weird looking light from his bag, and asks me to turn off the overhead light, which I do.  It is not too dark, but it will get worse as the storm settles in over us.  I realize, right away, what the flashlight is as soon as the examiner clicks the switch.  Black light.  CSI people used it all the time, as do home inspectors.  You can use it to find mold, bodily fluids, or what have you.  Those things glow bright under a black light, and can be used to see blood that killers think they have completely cleaned from a floor or a wall.  The examiner runs the light all around the room, and I am doing my best to take pictures of the whole room, because the blacklight is showing a lot of glowing features.  It is eerie to see.

    Frank speaks up, "Is that all blood splatter?"

    The examiner answers as he concentrates on what he is seeing, "No, not really.  Some mold, some insect remains.  Mouse or rat droppings.  A lot of it here is rather old.  You can see some old remnants of the blood that didn't get completely cleaned in the closet, here....and...here.  And if we go over the floor where the rugs were we can...oh damn."

    We all turn as we are following the path of the black light, and react in our own ways to what we see. 

    The other examiner drops his pad, and exclaims, "How is that happening?"

    What we see is a slight glowing spot on the floor, lit up by the black light.  What is weird is that the spot is growing out.  Much like the syrup on the plate Harry used to demonstrate, or the video I shot.  I wouldn't believe it if I didn't know that everyone else was seeing the same thing.  I spoke up.

    "Everyone is seeing this right?" Each murmur a 'yes' and I continue. "Should I turn the light back on?"

    "Yes, I need to check and make sure this light is working right," the examiner replies.

    I turn on the light and turn back to the floor.  There is nothing there but bare wood, and we all are left to scratch our heads.  The examiner with the pad is the first to break the silence.

    "Okay, we need to double check that light and run through this again.  It can't be working right."

    Harry questions, "Why not?  What would be wrong with it?"

    The examiner that is holding the light responds, "Because there is no way we would see what we saw...unless there was a fresh pool of blood forming on the floor in front of us.  And as we can see...there isn't a damn thing there in normal light."

    Frank added a thought.  "I'm not sure what you all saw, but it looked like it was coming from up through the flooring...from under it.  At least it seemed like it to me.  Damn craziest thing I have seen in some time."

    Harry turned to me.  "Get Dani.  I need to ask her something."

    I returned from getting Dani, with her just behind me.  The others started to come upstairs as well, and hung out along the wall by the stair railing.  Dani, and I got back to the room and went in.  Dani went up to Harry.

    "Harry, you needed to ask something?" she asked.

    "Yes.  I need permission to take up a portion of the floor."

    "Oh, I don't know," Dani replied. "This floor is one of the better floors I have, and won't need to replace.  I really can't afford to replace what I don't need to."

    Harry nodded.  "I'm sure Mayor Stapers would pick up the bill for replacement, but I think we need to look under this floor.

    Dani gave in.  "Okay.  Just try not to take up too much of it."



    I focused my camera on the floor where Harry, and the two examiners had marked out a sport to start prying up the flooring.  One of the examiners placed a prybar along the seam between two floorboards, and lined up his hammer for the initial strike.  Outside, the storm had arrived and there was some heavy thunder and lightning.  That certainly added some creepiness to the scene.  The room started to feel colder, and I felt this heaviness in the air.  Dani noticed it too, and I noticed Frank looking around the room like he was trying to find something.  The examiner came down on the hammer, and it set in deep into the seam.  As he set down the hammer, one of the storage bins in the corner fell off the other.  Everyone jumped, and I started snapping some pictures near it.

    The examiner pulled back on the prybar, and the wood started to crack from the leverage.  The thunder outside was loud, and it shook the whole house.  The other examiner started on his side with another prybar, and Harry watched closely.  As the wood cracked and splintered, another storage bin fell, and everyone paused.  One of the examiners spun around for a moment.

    "What the Hell?  It felt like someone grabbed my shoulder and pulled me."

    No one was close to him to be able to have pulled his shoulder.  I looked at Frank, and he curled his lips knowingly.  Harry broke the pause.

    "Just get back to it.  Let's see what's here."

    The examiners continued, and they started getting a decent sized hole in the floor.  The wood was so old that it broke in very small pieces.  As they continued, the room started getting cooler, and Frank stepped to the door.

    "I need to step out for some air.  Hard to breath in here."

    Dani helped him to the hallway, and I continued to shoot pictures.  The first bin that fell started to shake, then it was joined by the second.  The examiners looked around nervously, but Harry pushed them on.  As they continued to pry the floor apart, the closet door slammed shut, and then the lights went out with the most recent blast of thunder. 

    Everyone was quiet.  A couple of flashlights lit up, and Dani called from the hall to say that she had some flashlights, and would be getting candles lit.  The storage bins started shaking and making a racket, and the closet door slowly opened as I had run to set my camcorder on its nightvision setting.  Harry lit up a large flashlight and pointed it to the floor for the examiners. One place his prybar under a floorboard near a support beam and gave a strong tug.  A loud sound that was similar to a growl started to build up from the direction of the closet, and I could see my breathe in the flashlight beam.  With a sound of straining nails against wood, a long piece of the wood broke free.  Suddenly, the growl, the cold feeling, and the heaviness of the air stopped.  I looked around, looking for something to capture on film.  A slight whistle grabbed my attention.  It was Harry.  He was leaning with his flashlight over the bigger hole that had been opened up.

    "What do we have here?  You see this Officer Dixon?"

    Dixon, the examiner who was writing on his pad earlier, already had a rubber glove on, and was reaching into the open floor.  I brought my camera closer, and Dani was bring a few candles into the room.  As Dixon started to pull his arm back, Harry's flashlight beam was reflected off of something shiny in Dixon's hand.  Harry spoke again.

    "Well, that is a decent sized hunting knife.  Looks like something staining the blade."  He looked up at me.  "I think we have a murder weapon buried under the floor."

    I nodded my understanding.  Harry had definitely been correct in his instincts.  The floor had this knife hidden for decades.  Now we might have found a bigger piece of the whole puzzle.  Surely the knife would yield some answersas it would be examined by...

    "Oh damn...get the prybar back to me," a startled Cross said.  He was the other examiner.  "I have a skeleton!"

         

    Fourty minutes later, as I was taking pictures, and everyone traded spots at the open door for a peek, the last piece of wood was removed from around the skeleton that was found under the flooring.  The Mayor had already called the Sheriff and the Coroner, and the Coroner's truck pulled up in the back alleyway.  As I looked, Frank had come back in and shined his light on the floor in the hole, adding morelight to be able to see the entire skeleton.  As I got closer with my camera, Harry and Dixon were pointing their lights to a spot at the belly of the skeleton.  I spoke up as soon as I saw Harry look and frown at Dixon.

    "Harry, what is it?"

    "A second...tiny skeleton, Mike.  A partially developed fetus.  This is Mrs. Bishop, I'm sure.  DNA will be examined, but I'm sure there will be a match."

    I could only stand there and stare.  After a few moments, I looked at Frank standing in the doorway.  He gave me a slight, approving nod.  A slight chill hit me, and I could swear a voice hinted near my ear.

    ~Thank you~

    I turned in the direction of the noise, but saw nothing.



    Downstairs, in the front room, Tory awakened from her sleep, and got out of her bed behind the couch.  She padded towards Dani's easel in the bay window, and stood there with her hair bristling on her back.  A moment later the hair settled back down, and she started wagging her tail.

    On the easel was the charcoal sketch that Dani had been working on.  Unseen by everyone who was upstairs, small flakes of red chalk began to fall off the sketch.



    It has been a few months since the night we discovered Mrs. Bishop's skeleton.  DNA tests were positive.  We still don't know exactly what had happened on the night the Bishops died.  Harry theorized a few ideas, but the one that seemed to make the most sense was that Mr. Bishop stabbed his wife, then concealed the body under the floor.  The odd part is why he didn't run away, himself, as was the theory about Mrs. Bishop.  Frank offered that Mr. Bishop had been drunk when he killed his wife, then sobered up and realized what he had done.  Abusive as he may have been, he might still have loved her, and decided the best way was to take his own life.  It was assumed that Mr. Bishop had wrapped himself in the rug to try and muffle the gunshot, whichwas the only way to logically understand why he was found that way. A seemingly valid scenario, that was the final report on the case. 

    I had some amazing video captures of an entity in the room when we opened the floor, and I showed Frank, Ralph,and Dani.  We all decided to just keep it amongst the group for now.  We were all just happy to figure out was was really going on.

    Dani and I eventually broke up.  Our distance apart, and our difficulty in getting our schedules to match up, made things more difficult for managing a relationship, and we mutually went our seperate ways.  We remain friends to this day, and we still message each other at times.  She told me that things have really settled down in her house, but every once in a while, there will be a slight noise, or a sensation beyond her peripheral vision.  She said she doesn't feel the dread she once did.  Perhaps after Mrs. Bishop's remains were properly laid to rest, it became closure to both ghosts.

    So here I sit.  I am looking at the pictures I took on that evening of the storm.  It was a crazy and unsettling night.  I never knew what I was getting into with that situation.  I close the picture files down, and get ready for bed.  Friskie is doing her normal routine of figure-eighting around my legs as I brush my teeth.  After nearly tripping over the huge furball, I go to my bed to settle in, and grab my cell to plug into its charger and to set the alarm.  I have a text message.  Cool, it is Frank.

    'Hey Mike.  I hope all is well, and I hope you come here this Fall to get some pictures.  We should have a nice color change.  let me know, and I will show you some good spots after coffee.  Anyway, the next time you go to Charles Town, stop by the old Charles Washington Inn.  Ask for Bennett.  Have a good night.'

    I put my phone on charge and set it down on my nightstand.  I settle into my covers, and Friskie hops up on the bed and looks at me.  She settles in and continues to look, giving me that, 'Here we go again, huh?' look.

    "Oh shut up, you furball"

                                                     

***THE END***