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

we took during the visit, the older boy seemed to consistently manifest more vividly than his younger brother.

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For the rest of the weekend we felt as though we had two

extra housemates, as the boys’ energy remained obvious for

the duration of our stay. We continued chatting to them via

the pendulum, which led to many mirthful exchanges. At one

point they informed me that they didn’t particularly like my

music and thought that we drank too much wine! By the time

we were set to leave, I felt as though I was saying goodbye to two dear friends.

My family were already waiting in the car when I ran back

into the school house for a final goodbye.

“Thanks for everything darlings, I’ve really loved meeting

you! Can you make a noise for me to say goodbye?”

A noise came from the ceiling immediately after I’d asked .

Crack!

“Again?”

Crack!

“I know you don’t want to cross over, but can I at least

bring my friend, Paula to come and talk to you?”

I waited for a sign.

“If you’d like me to come back with Paula, please make

another noise …”

CRACK!

I could barely contain my happiness as I promised that I’d

be back. And as a final request, I asked for one last photo.

“Please give me a last little sign,” I asked. “Just one more

photo before I go …”

I pointed the camera towards the fireplace where we first

met, with no doubt at all that the boys were close by. And as

much as I expected to see them in the photo, I was overcome

with emotion to see their shining orbs.

100The Boys

I felt a wrench as I walked out of the schoolroom. And just

as I reached the doorway, I turned towards the emptiness, sur-

prising myself by the words which flew from my mouth.

“I love you!” I called out. “I promise I’ll be back!”

As I ran inside for a final farewell, I asked the boys to

show themselves one last time. With one quick snap,

there they were; sitting on the floor in front of the lounge.

As we pulled out of the long, dusty driveway, I had no

doubt whatsoever that the boys and I would meet again. And I

just couldn’t wait to introduce them to Paula

chapter thirteen

H a u n t e d T h e a t e r s

Three months after the investigation in Carinup, I was lucky

enough to have another opportunity to attend a ghost hunt

with Tony G. The evening was arranged by a reporter from

the West Australian newspaper, Matilda. I had met Matilda

a couple of months earlier, when she came to interview me

about the poltergeist encounter in Carinup. That meeting set

into motion several encounters with Matilda’s father, Matt,

who passed away five years earlier. As such Matilda and my

friendship was fast-tracked, we bonded much more quickly

than new friends usually would. Now here we were, ready to

initiate contact with the spirit realms once again.

Completing the investigative team were Tony’s business

manager, Glenda, my husband Stuart and Matilda’s friend Elea-

nor.

Matilda selected two locations for the investigation, both

old theatres with reports of paranormal activity. It is thought that theatres commonly attract ghostly energies, as the ghosts 101

102Haunted Theaters

thrive on the bustling atmosphere and the steady influx of

patrons. It’s also thought that those who were passionate

about their theatrical pursuits in life, continue to nurture this passion after death. As such, old actors and theatre buffs often choose to remain in the environment which gave them so

much joy.

We met at the Garrick Theatre just as it was getting dark

and were greeted by the president and two young committee

members. They proceeded to tell us about some of the strange

occurrences which seem to frequent the theatre. They were

convinced that it was haunted; possibly due to the fact that one of the star actors had suffered a heart attack and died on the stage several years ago. Their account gained all the more credibility as I photographed the stage; a large orb hovered above one of the young men’s head’s as he spoke of their suspicions.

In accordance with Tony’s usual approach to investigat-

ing a haunting, he set off to scope the building and gauge the energy in each room. He returned some minutes later, confirming that there were numerous entities lingering towards

the rear of the building. Since Matilda would be reporting on the evening’s events in the newspaper, Tony invited her backstage. Her voice-recorder and camera were primed, ready to

capture any evidence of paranormal phenomena.

It was a good twenty minutes later that we heard loud

footsteps, as Matilda hurried back to the front of the stage. She was flushed and breathing quickly.

“He was throwing things off the shelves! And he was

touching me …” she shuddered.

Haunted Theaters 103

Could this spirit orb be connected to the actor who died on stage?

Tony followed Matilda out from backstage and filled us in on

what had happened. The energy who had gravitated to Matil-

da’s side was not pleasant. Jimmy was a slight and wizened Irishman and had been a paedophile and alcoholic. Although he had

passed some seventy years ago, had not shaken his predilection for young girls. As an eighteen year-old, Matilda just managed to squeeze into his preferred age range, whereas as forty-somethings Glenda and I were seemingly quite safe!

Matilda recounted that a hot uncomfortable energy moved

in beside her and described how her entire right side had felt as though it was burning. She said that the physical sensation was accompanied by an innate sense of creepiness, and the desire to get away. The objects flying off the shelves added to her alarm, and she was torn between staying for the sake of her story and 104Haunted Theaters

bolting to safety. The latter won out and she returned to the

front of the stage.

Deciding we had fraternised with Jimmy and his cohorts

for long enough we bundled into our cars and set off for our

next destination; the Roleystone Theatre.

Since were running ahead of schedule, we stopped at