Embracing the Spirits: True Stories of My Encounters With the Other Side by Barbara Parks (best ereader for graphic novels txt) 📗

hand, I took a quick snap. I was pleased to see a beautiful, bright orb exactly where the figure had been.

I showed the photo to Hayley and Rose, explaining that

orbs are manifestations of spirit energy. I told them that each time I saw a spirit I’d try to capture the presence in a photograph, as verification of what I was seeing. The ladies excitedly told me that if I wanted to photograph orbs we had better go down to the basement. As far as they could tell, it seemed

to be the focus of the haunting. They told me that whoever

The Heritage Hotel 59

went down there reported feeling distinctly uneasy from the

moment they set foot in its musty darkness.

We navigated our way down the steep outdoor staircase, as

we made our way to the basement. Rose unlocked the heavy

wooden door and stepped back to allow us in; the dense atmo-

sphere of ghostly presences immediately apparent.

“Hello …” I said into the darkness. “Would anyone like to

come out and say Hi?”

I took a photograph which revealed absolutely nothing;

surprising since I was sure that the basement was swarming

with ghosts.

Just then, I saw the familiar little figure from upstairs dart into a small anteroom, and walked over to the doorway to

take a look.

“Don’t be scared darling,” I said. “We just want to make

sure that you’re OK.”

I took a photo of the doorway of the small room, and

was rewarded with the same glowing orb I’d captured on the

upstairs landing.

“Lovely!” I said, thanking the little soul for appearing. “But I do know there are many more of you down here. Now’s

your chance to make yourselves known to us.”

I encouraged the ghosts to come out from where they were

hiding, telling them we would love it if they’d appear in our photos. It didn’t take much persuasion for the basement ghosts to comply, and before long before we had camera full of amazing photographs. The orbs seemed to be everywhere!

So from the first photo which showed absolutely nothing,

we went on to capture photo after photo of literally dozens of beautiful orbs. The atmosphere suddenly began to feel joyous;

we could palpably feel the presence of spirits.

60The Heritage Hotel

Our little spirit friend from upstairs followed us to the basement

“This is where they used to store the kegs of beer, you know,”

laughed Rose. “I think they might be down here partying!”

I entirely agreed, as the vibe in the basement was one of

merriment and joy. I also suspected that since the basement

was the only part of the hotel which hadn’t been renovated,

the spirits were gravitating to the place which remained as it had been when they were alive.

Wishing to develop more of a rapport with the hotel’s spir-

its, I asked if I could have a photo taken with them. Kelly and I stood with our backs to where we could feel the most activity

and asked them to step forward into the photo.

“And …” I joked, “I want whoever likes me the most to

come and stand next to me so I can put my arm around you!”

I extended my arm as if there was someone beside me, and

Hayley took the shot.

When we saw the orbs beside me, we couldn’t help laugh-

ing. It seemed I had two ghostly admirers . One had positioned itself on my extended arm, and the other was sitting just

The Heritage Hotel 61

beneath the fur collar of my coat. There were also at least a

dozen more orbs floating around beside us, eager to show them-

selves. It really felt as though we were partying with friends.

With arm outstretched to embrace the spirits, I am pictured with my friend, Kelly (and my new friends from the basement!)

We opened the door to a storeroom, which housed a pair

of striking throne-like chairs. Although they were falling apart with age, they were still breathtaking. Their beautifully carved golden frames were upholstered with striped gold and white

velvet.

“Wow!” I said. “Who wants to come and pose in these

chairs?”

It seems there were quite a few takers, as when I snapped

the photo, the chairs were surrounded by glowing orbs. Again,

we began to laugh. It really felt as though we were hanging

out with a group of eager-to-please friends.

62The Heritage Hotel

Eager to please, the spirits gather around the old chairs.

A moment later I saw a large ball of light zip across the

basement. It flew right in front of us and then seemed to disappear through the wall. Most amazing of all was the fact that Kelly saw it too. She was thrilled to have experienced her first ghostly sighting, and by seeing the light with her naked eye, it validated our orb photos all the more.

Meanwhile Karen’s infrared camera was of course going

berserk, as it captured a dazzling display of darting, iridescent spirit energy. We were totally surrounded!

After half an hour or so, we decided to return upstairs to

conduct a séance. We invited our new friends to join us if they wanted to connect with us further.

Since the new clinic was yet to be furnished, we scoured

the storerooms for makeshift chairs. Finding an esky and some

large boxes, we proceeded to seat ourselves around the table.

In no time at all, the little child who had been following

us around took the opportunity to come through. Although

she seemed a little guarded at first, she became increasingly

The Heritage Hotel 63

bolstered as the communication went on. Since she had con-

nected with me from the moment I arrived, it seemed she had

assumed the role of spokesperson for the rest of the hotel’s ghosts.

In addition to putting on an impressive display of table-tip-

ping, our young friend was also a wonderful communicator.

She held nothing back, answering our questions with candour

and aplomb.

She told us that her name was Mary and that she had been

in the hotel for more than seventy years. Many of her fam-

ily and friends were there also, so she had no desire to leave.

When asked how many of them there