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

as if the crucifixes had never been there at all.

Tony also told me about an alarming case whereby a pol-

tergeist was hurling crockery and knives, so frequently and

recklessly that the homeowner’s life seemed at risk. Once the

cause of the disturbance was uncovered however, it didn’t take long for the home to resume normality. This is true of most

hauntings, there is usually an underlying issue. The paranor-

mal activity is most often a cry for attention, and if the spirit’s concerns can be addressed, the disturbance usually recedes.

In this particular case, the focus of the haunting was an ex-

soldier who had served in Northern Ireland several years earlier.

One of his comrades had suffered an horrific injury as the result of a bomb blast, which would have resulted in a slow and agonising death. Wishing to spare him further suffering, the man

proceeded to shoot his friend in the head. As a result of what was in effect a mercy killing, he had been unable to forgive himself and had punished himself ever since. The ex-soldier’s life was dominated by his all-consuming guilt and he was spiralling deeper and deeper into a remorseless depression. His marriage

had crumbled, he was unable to work and was habitually drink-

ing himself into oblivion.

Tony soon established that the poltergeist was in fact the

man’s deceased comrade, who was becoming increasingly

frustrated by his friend’s progressively bleak existence. The

spirit’s frenetic behaviour was a desperate attempt to get his friend’s attention, and to assure him that he had done the right thing by ending his life.

8The Night of the Poltergeist

Once Tony relayed the message from the deceased soldier,

it didn’t take long for the haunting to settle down. The com-

munication certainly afforded some peace to the attention-

seeking spirit and hopefully provided some peace and closure

for the man as well.

It was with these stories fresh in my mind, that we

approached the Carinup tavern. My mind was focussed on pol-

tergeists and hauntings, I was primed and ready for the ghost

hunt. The fact that a Ouija Board sat just behind me, clattering in the back of the station wagon, further set the mood. It was time for the investigation to begin.

As we entered the tavern, we were met by Rob and Heidi,

the hosts of a popular morning radio show. One of the local

television stations had also sent a reporter, who was covering the investigation for the following evening’s news. The media

were poised for what they hoped would be an eventful eve-

ning. They wouldn’t be disappointed.

It wasn’t long before Tony had scanned the building, and

identified a closed-off corridor as the focus of the haunting.

To reach it, you had to go through a long dark hallway with

self-closing doors at either end. Once you entered the hallway, the heavy door closed quickly behind you, pitching the space

into complete darkness. It was musty and foreboding.

The doorway at the end of the hall led to the corri-

dor, which in turn gave access to a bathroom and two pokey

rooms. These had once been the publican’s quarters, but were

now too decrepit to be used for anything other than storage.

Ted, one of the previous publicans didn’t think so though, and he continued to occupy his quarters in spite of being dead.

The Night of the Poltergeist 9

Tony thought it would be best to take us into the corri-

dor in pairs, so that the groups were small enough for him to

maintain control.

First to accompany Tony into Ted’s quarters was Heidi,

who had confessed a profound fear of ghosts beforehand. The

reporter from TV station also went in, her camera rolling. She admitted she was a skeptic, and didn’t expect to capture anything untoward.

After much convincing, a tearful Heidi eventually agreed

to go in, her terror palpable as she made her way through the

heavy first door. We could hear her voice getting softer as the group moved away from us, as she repeatedly asked to go

back, unwilling to face her darkest of fears. Tony managed to

reassure her, telling her she would come to no harm.

Tony called out into the darkness.

“If there’s anyone here, could you please make a noise.”

Almost instantly, a loud banging began on the ceiling and

walls. Heidi screamed.

“Oh my God!” she gasped. “I need to get out. Take me back!”

“It’s OK …” said Tony calmly. “Nothing will happen to you;

you’ll be fine.”

Tony addressed the ghost once again, and asked if it would

make itself known to them.

Another loud bang echoed through the corridor. By now

Heidi had begun to hyperventilate, and worse was yet to

come. The reporter continued filming, stoically trying to pro-

cess what she could scarcely believe was possible. Tony continued trying to establish contact.

And then, completely unfathomably, the trio were pelted

with a smattering of stones. They had materialised out of thin air; it was more than Heidi could take.

10The Night of the Poltergeist

“Get me out of here!” she screamed.

Seconds later she was bolting down the hallway, back through

the heavy wooden door and into the sanctuary of the pub.

“It’s real!” Heidi cried. “It’s really real … he threw rocks at us!”

I could see her shaking from across the room. We all crowded

around her, shocked but intrigued. We were unable to compre-

hend that the poltergeist had actually manifested stones and used them as projectiles. I’d read about the phenomenon being connected to poltergeists before, and could never quite believe it.

Being confronted with the evidence now was almost more than

I could process.

Tony called Rob in from the hallway, it was his turn to go

in. I quickly grabbed the door before it shut, and asked the TV

reporter if she was OK.

“I’m fine,” she smiled, as the team disappeared into the

darkness and the door slammed shut once again.

The group resumed their positions in the corridor, and

Tony asked the ghost if he wanted them to leave.

BANG!

“OK … but we’re not here to hurt you mate. We’re not try-

ing to upset you …”

BANG!

Tony picked up that Ted didn’t like the reporter at all and

it wasn’t long before he expressed his disdain. The stones fired up once again, and this time they were all aimed