The Creepy Old Caravan

* Sent in by Selena Coles (Queensland, Australia)

I don’t know much about ghosts and all that stuff but I’m pretty sure my husband renovated a haunted caravan.  Sounds weird I know, but nothing else can explain it.

My hubby Tony started his own business after he retired, buying, renovating, refurbishing and selling caravans and camper trailers.  His specialty was old retro vans and people sought him out for his expertise and attention to detail.

A few years back a couple in their early 40’s came in with a tired, rundown old caravan dating back to the 70’s.  It was a big old beauty but it was in very bad condition.  Tony got to work on it nonetheless, optimistic about its eventual restoration.

Working in the yard one day I could hear Tony calling my name from his workshop.  I made my way into the shed wondering what all the fuss was about.  I couldn’t see Tony anywhere so I called his name loudly.  His head popped out the door of the old van with a perplexed look on his face.

“Did you just call me darl?” Tony asked me.

“Yes ... I called you because you called me ... didn’t you?” I replied.

Tony then emerged from the van looking all the more confused.  “No I didn’t ... you were calling me.”

I shook my head in disagreement.

“You called me first though didn’t you?” he asked me.

Then it was my turn to be confused.  Tony went on to explain that while he’d been working on the van he’d heard me calling him.  He said it sounded as though I was right behind him in the van, but when he turned around I wasn’t there, so he went back to his work.  A couple of moments later he said he’d heard me call his name again, then again.  That was when he’d called out to me.

Leaving us both a little baffled, we both went off to do our respective chores ... Tony back to his van and me back to the weeding in the garden.

Later that night Tony brought up the strange experience again, but the more we discussed it, the more confused we became.

The following morning I headed into town and didn’t return until early evening.  Tony had closed up his workshop (strange within itself) and was waiting for me in the kitchen upon my return.  He looked more than just a little rattled.

“You were calling me again today,” he stated before I’d even had a chance to put my handbag down.  He continued, “I kept feeling like someone was watching me all day.  Every time I went near the old van I kept getting the feeling that I wasn’t alone.  And I’d get myself a tool to do something, but the moment I put it down it was moved or disappeared completely.  I found my screwdriver up on one of the cabinets and I know I never put it there.  Took me half an hour to find it.”

I certainly couldn’t imagine what was going on, but Tony wasn’t one to make up stories.
A week or so later the owners of the van rang to see how the renovations were progressing.  Tony asked them what they knew of the history of the van, and they told him that they’d bought it through a friend, so would see what they could find out.

Tony worked on the van diligently and did a splendid job of restoring it as well as installing some modern conveniences as per the owner’s requirements.  Each night though, after spending time working on the van, Tony would tell me about the constant feeling of being watched, hearing his name amongst other words and voices, his tools continued to vanish and turn up in odd places and it was always cold inside the caravan.

The caravan was near completion and I was curious to take a look for myself.  Tony was busy fitting new lights to the outside of the van so I took myself inside and sat on the newly refurbished couch.  

I can’t really explain what I felt or why, but within a few moments I felt a cold chill run right through me and I shivered involuntarily.  I also got the feeling that someone was watching me from the moment I stepped inside.  As much as I was determined to stick it out, I just felt so uncomfortable that I was forced out of the van.  All I really know is that there was something strange about that old caravan and both Tony and I were glad to see it finally finished and out of the workshop.

When the owners arrived to pick it up they were over the Moon about the job Tony had done on their own van ... but hadn’t been able to find out the origins of the van or any information about its history.  I don’t think I really want to know anyway.  I’m just pleased nothing like that has happened to us since.

**

* Sent in by Selena Coles (Queensland, Australia)

Andrew’s Ghostly Playmate

* Sent in by Jen H.

I was home alone with my young son Andrew, doing chores and catching up on some cleaning around the house while Andrew went down for a nap.

Sometime later I could hear Andrew chattering from his bedroom so I knew that nap-time was over it was time for my two year old tornado to be let loose.

Walking up the hallway to Andrew’s room I stopped just outside his door.  Andrew continued talking to who I considered to be his imaginary friend.  What I found odd though, listening to his conversation, was that he was speaking and asking questions, then leaving a gap before speaking again as though it was a two-way conversation.  Then he laughed and said ‘you’re so funny Adam ...”     Adam??   I walked in at that point and Andrew abruptly stopped talking then looked over and smiled at me.  “This is my mummy,” he said to thin air.

A day or so later I was in the kitchen doing dishes while Andrew played on the floor in front of the bench where I could see him.  He was chatting away again and I watched as he sorted out his toys.  “One for you, one for me ... one for you, one for me,” he said as he put one toy in front of himself and another on a pile on the other side of the mat he sat on.  And so it went on until every toy was out of Andrew’s toy box.  Two distinct piles sat on the carpet in front of Andrew.  One for him and one for ... Adam?

I turned away to dry a cup and out the corner of my eye I thought I saw a flash of blue.  I looked quickly but only saw Andrew and his toys.  Nothing unusual there ...

Andrew chatted away and giggled to himself as he played, and I quickly made a phone call to my best girlfriend Donna.  She was due to come over for a play-date with her son Jordan and I wanted to ask her to stop by the shops to pick me up some milk.

Just as I was hanging up the phone I looked over to see Andrew holding up a toy as though presenting it to someone.  I couldn’t believe my eyes!  I watched as the toy seemed to drift in the air of its own accord.  It only lasted a second, but in that brief moment I was sure I saw it hang in mid-air, then be placed amongst the other toys on the pile.  I knew what I saw  -  but I couldn’t believe it.

Donna arrived, milk in hand.  She saw the look on my face and asked me what on Earth was wrong with me.  I said I was just feeling a little flustered as I didn’t want to tell her what I’d just witnessed.  She’d think I was nuts!

We settled in for a coffee at the kitchen bench and I tried my hardest to forget what I was sure I’d seen.  I kept thinking about it and looking at Andrew and Jordan playing on the floor.  Jordan was a little younger than Andrew but they played together nicely and got along well.  Soon enough there was three piles of toys on the mat  -  one for Andrew, one for Jordan and one for .... Adam?

Donna noticed that I was distracted and asked me what was on my mind.  I didn’t know what to say, so just made the excuse that I’d been feeling a little rundown and tired.  She nodded in empathy.  

I took myself off to the loo and left Donna to mind the boys.  Upon my return Donna asked me who ‘Adam’ was.  I asked her where she’d heard the name Adam, and she replied that both Andrew and Jordan had both referred to Adam, as though they were talking to someone that she couldn’t see.

At first I didn’t know what to say, but I knew I had to say something so I told her what had happened the other day as well as the toy episode from earlier that day.  I was expecting her to look at me as though I’d gone totally bonkers, but instead she listened intently, nodding here and there as I spoke.  She didn’t seem at all surprised ... in fact, she then went on to tell me of a similar experience that one of her workmates had had.  She told me that it was more common than what I would ever have thought.

I started to pay more attention after that and noticed that Adam seemed to be around most of the time.  It was like having an invisible tenant around the house.  

I never actually saw Adam myself although Andrew continued chatting to him for well over three years or so.  I got used to having Adam around even though he was never really all that present for me.  He made Andrew happy and content and that was the main thing from my perspective.

Over time though, Adam seemed to be around less and less as the years passed.
Today, Andrew has grown up to be a healthy and happy young man of 33 and nowadays has no memory of his childhood friend Adam.  But I remember him.

*
* Sent in by Jen H.

Footsteps From Above

* Sent in by Wendy Wright

About 15 years ago when I was doing my hairdressing apprenticeship, I’d left my country home and had come to the city to gain my qualifications and secure employment.  I rented a small one bedroom granny-flat and worked at the local eatery three nights a week.  

Everything was fine for the first six months or so and I was happy and content in my little home.  Then one night I heard footsteps running above me which had me a little perplexed as my granny-flat was single story.  The footsteps sounded light as though they belonged to children, and it sounded like there was more than just one or two of them.  I checked for possums and/or rats, but found nothing to give me any clues.

I could hear the footsteps regularly from that night onwards.  They would start up at about 8pm and continue until after 10pm.  On the nights I worked I would come home to the tail-end of the pitter-patter of running feet.  After a while the sound of running feet above just blended in with my daily life and I hardly gave it a second thought.

About two months after the running noises started, I was in my bedroom getting ready to turn in the for the night when suddenly I caught a glimpse of a small child, a young girl of about 6, standing in the corner.   But as soon as I turned my head to get a better look she was gone.
It certainly shook me up but I was determined not to let it stop me from having a good night’s sleep.  But I turned out to be wrong.  Very wrong.

Not long after dropping off to sleep I was woken by loud stomping coming from above.  “OY!” I yelled and the stomping stopped immediately.  I nodded off to sleep not long after, only to be woken again.  This time I was scared.  I tried to snap on the bedside lamp only to find that I couldn’t.  It was as if there was a weight on my chest, holding me down and I was frozen in place.  The next thing I knew my alarm was going off and it was morning.
I was pretty shaken up at the thought (or memory) of it and couldn’t shake a foreboding feeling for the rest of the day.

That night during my shift at the restaurant, a familiar face came in  -  Mrs Arnot and her family.  Mrs Arnot was seen as a local matriarch and the place always lit up when Mrs Arnot and her brood came in.  She was friends with the owner and always tipped the staff liberally.  Not only that but she was my landlady as she owned the property that my little granny-flat sat on.
Clearing the plates from the table, I shyly asked Mrs Arnot if I could speak with her privately at her convenience.  She happily followed me to the foyer and waited expectantly while I fumbled and mumbled.  I just didn’t know how to start or what to say.

Mrs Arnot smiled and nodded slowly at me.  “You’ve heard the footsteps haven’t you dear?”  All I could do was nod yes.

She then went on to tell me that a double-storey house once stood on the site where my granny-flat now was.  There had been a fire and the three children and their mother had perished.  Since the granny-flat was built there the footsteps and sometimes even voices had been heard by all the tenants throughout the years.

I went home that night with a different perspective and felt quite sorry for the family who played above me.  I did a little research and was given the name and number of a medium who specialized in helping spirits pass-over, so I arranged for her to visit the following week.

I can’t describe or tell you what happened because I left her to do her thing.  All I know is that I never heard the footsteps again and I hoped that the family were finally at peace.

*

* Sent in by Wendy Wright

The Little Lost Girl

Story sent in by Karen Corkern

I've had many encounters with ghosts ...

This lil girl and others seems to following my step son who is 20 with cerebral palsy. He has told me many stories of ghosts he sees and hears so sometimes we talk to them and get replies as knocks footsteps old timey music playing when nothing in the house is on. We've helped cross over quite a few but more keep coming for instance the lil girl adel. 

My step son first saw her staring out his window and he hears giggles and knocks on his tv when he turns it off and she pinches him! We were stationed in a different state and was living in an apt and My step son said she was there so we went in his room and talked to her and we had a candle that would get very bright when we asked her to make it bright. Then we kind of forgot about it all because we were busy and I was packing. One night real late he tried to call us on his phone but we were sound asleep! 

The next morning his dad, who did not believe at all, checked his voice mail and when he got home I listened to it! It was a lil girls voice sighing then saying "Tim Don't Go" as if she was very sad and then you hear him getting upset! Tim didn't know his phone was still on. My husband is a believer now because she said his name and don't go plain as if she was right in front of you! Kind of scared me a bit too!!

By Karen Corkern

My Aunty Had a Ghost in her House

My aunty had a ghost in her house that used to bang on the walls and you could hear it walking around at night.  It was pretty creepy and me and my sister never liked staying at her place when we were kids.  It never bothered her though and she said that she felt that the ghost was care-taking the house when she was out, because she never got broken into or anything like that, and she lived in a pretty rough area of town.  She believed it was the ghost of the old lady that had lived in the house before her.



When me and my sister used to stay there on the holidays sometimes we used to hear footsteps in our room at night and sometimes in the kitchen you could hear the drawers open and close and sometimes the cupboards would open and close on their own.

*
Contributed by Terri Cason

WE HAD A GHOST IN OUR HOUSE

As told by Prue


Kenny and I hadn’t been in town that long when I met Sandy at the local Daycare centre.  She lived a couple of doors down from us, and although we hadn’t been formerly introduced, I recognised her having seen her in her front yard when were unpacking two weeks ago when we were finally moving into our very first home as husband and wife.


Sandy didn’t bother with any formalities.  “So, you’re the new people on the block yeah?”  Sandy asked/stated.  “Have you met the ghost yet or what?” she continued.


I stood there perplexed, not knowing what she was talking about.  Sandy looked at me in exasperation and repeated her question/statement.  “The ghost.  Have you met him yet or what?  I shook my head ‘no’, not really sure what she was talking about.  


I thought no more of it as I made my way home where I found Kenny on the couch in front of the TV.  “Hey, I thought you came home earlier,” Kenny said as I came down the hallway.  I stopped and looked at him, mid-way to the kitchen.  “I thought you came home earlier because I heard some noise coming from the bathroom, but when I went to check you weren’t there." I just looked at him a little strangely and went on to unpack my groceries.


A few days later I was home cooking Kenny’s favourite meal, when I was sure I heard the shower running.  I stood still on the spot listening, but the noise of running water had stopped as abruptly as it has started.  I figured I’d just imagined it, so went back to peeling the potatoes, but a couple of minutes later I heard it start up again.  I went to check and found the hot water tap turned on full bore in the shower, but no one was there and I was the only one home.  I started to feel freaked-out and really didn’t want to be there by myself.  I remembered what our neighbour Sandy had said about the ‘ghost’ and shuddered at the thought.   I didn’t even want to consider it.


I had to come to grips with it though because over the next 3 years that we lived in that house lots of little things happen.  I say little things because it was never really scary or earth-shattering stuff that went on, but enough to know that the ‘ghost’ was definitely around.


* The shower turned itself on and off quite often.


* I’d come home from work to find the contents of the pantry in the fridge.


* Sometimes I would find the loungeroom windows open, knowing I’d closed and locked them before going to work.


* Lights coming on at night and turning themselves off again.


* Stereo and TV would turn on and off.


* Clothes from the laundry would be found in the kitchen and kitchen utensils in the bathroom.


* Photos frames being moving around on the mantel every few days.


* Keys, mobile phone, ipod and things like that would go missing and turn up in stupid/unlikely places.


* Strange cooking/food smells but no source.


These are just a few of the things that took place while we lived in the house.  After a while I wasn’t really scared, but annoyed more than anything.  It never bothered Kenny, but I never felt comfortable in the house and was glad to finally move out.  

*As told by Prue

The Ghosts in the Laundry

*As told by Jenny

It was a Saturday afternoon and I’d come home early from work so thought I’s watch the TV shows I’d pre-recorded during the week while I was at work.  My partner Glen wouldn’t be home until later that evening as he’d gone with fishing with his mates,  so I intended to just kick-back and relax a bit while I had the time and space.

At some point I must have fallen asleep on the couch while watching the TV because I was woken by the sound of crying ... wailing really.  It started in my dream and got louder the more I woke up, but when I opened my eyes and looked around there was no one there.  It had frightened the life out of me.
The TV was still blaring away, but no one had been crying on the show, so I put the crying/wailing sound down to my imagination or a bad dream.  Deciding to get up to get myself a snack from the kitchen, I noticed a blanket half covering me.  I lifted it up and looked at it with disturbed wonder.  It was the throw-rug from off my bed, and my bedroom was down the hall.  I hadn’t grabbed the blanket and covered myself  -  so who had?? 

I assumed then that Glen must have come home early from his fishing trip, so I headed off towards the kitchen calling out his name. There was no answer from inside the house so I went to check the shed.  I noticed straight away that Glen’s car wasn’t in the driveway.  So where was he? Maybe at the shops; maybe he was at his mate’s place?  I rang his mobile and he answered straight away.  He was indeed out in Port Phillip Bay fishing, making him at least three to four hours away.  I figured then that I must have grabbed the blanket myself and had just forgotten I'd done it.

Putting the issue behind me, I made myself some food, then settled back on the couch to continue watching my shows.

After polishing off some vegemite toast I considered getting up again to make myself a cup of tea.  Just as I thought it, the kettle turned itself on in the kitchen.  I heard the distinctive ‘click’, then the water beginning to heat up.

I sat stock-still on the couch, my mouth and eyes wide open, and the sound of my rapidly beating heart in my ears.  I just didn’t know what to think or do.  I was too scared to move and I certainly didn’t want to go anywhere near the kitchen.

The kettle boiled and switched itself off.  I still didn’t/couldn’t move and I had goosebumps up my arms and up my back.  I was totally terrified.

I grabbed my phone from off the coffee table next to me and called my sister Yvonne.  When she answered I started whispering into the phone.
“Who is this?” Yvonne asked with suspicion.

“It’s me, Jenny.”  I replied.

“Why are you whispering?” she asked.  “Speak up will ya.”

“I can’t ... someone’s in the house ... I don’t want them to hear me.”

“WHAT!?” screeched Yvonne.  “Someone’s broken into your house??  I’ll call the cops  -  you get out of there right NOW!”

“No, no, no ... it’s not like that  -  I think we have a ghost Yvonne ...” I told her.

There was silence from the other end of the phone for an extended moment.

“Bullshit!” Yvonne laughed.

“It’s true!  And I’m scared.   Come over, come on.  Keep me company until Glen gets home,” I pleaded.
I finally managed to talk her into it, promising her some chocolate cheesecake when she got here.  (I’d have to raid the freezer for the very last of my famous chocolate cheesecakes, but it would be well worth it not to have to be alone.)

Within twenty long minutes Yvonne arrived, letting herself in with her own key.  I still hadn’t moved off the couch, but felt more confident now that I was no longer alone ... even though I had to endure Yvonne calling me a scaredy-cat and making fun of me.  I made her come into the kitchen with me nonetheless while I made us cuppas and took out the chocolate cheesecake I’d promised her.

In short time I felt much more confident and soon got over my earlier fear  -  and by then Yvonne had convinced me that it was my warped imagination that had frightened me so much, and nothing more.
Changing the DVD to a show of Yvonne’s choice, we settled on the couch to chat and while away some time before Glen was due home.

Within half an hour or so I fancied another cup of tea and was about to offer Yvonne a refill  -  when the kettle turned itself on again.  I looked at Yvonne who stared back at me with a stricken look on her face.
“See ... I told you,” I whispered.

Yvonne gathered herself together, then charged off into the kitchen.  The moment she rounded the corner, the kettle switched itself off with a click.

“You must be having some electrical problems ...” Yvonne stated.  “That’s gotta be it ...” she continued quietly to herself.  She fiddled with the plug of the kettle, then dismissed it and chose to ignore what had happened and made us both our cups of tea.

A bit later on, while Yvonne and I devoured the chocolate cheesecake, a clattering sound came from the laundry area at the back of the house.  I jumped in fright and spontaneously grabbed hold of Yvonne’s arm and she looked down at it, then back at me in distain.

“I’ll go and check shall I?” she said sarcastically.  I was happy enough to let her go by herself, but she insisted I go with her just so she could ‘prove’ to me how ‘silly’ I was being.

As soon as Yvonne opened the door to the laundry, I could see her back stiffen in front of me, although I couldn’t see around her into the room.  Yvonne stepped back quickly, trampling my feet in the process, then shoved me hard in the chest as she tried to move me back down the hallway as quickly as she could ... a look of sheer terror on her face.  She didn’t speak a word, but bustled around quickly grabbing her car keys, her coat and the remainder of the chocolate cheesecake.  She snapped at me to grab my stuff because we were leaving right then and there.  Yvonne was already out the door heading towards her car faster than I’ve ever seen her move in her life, as I locked the front door behind me.
 
It wasn’t until we were a few streets away that Yvonne finally let out a huge sigh of relief.

“What happened?” I asked, not that I really wanted to know  -  I was scared enough at it was.

“When I opened the door I saw a couple;  a man and a woman who looked ot be around 50 or so.  I was about to ask them who they were and what they doing in your laundry  -  but then I realized that I could see right through them  -  like they were sort of transparent ... grainy-looking or something.”  It freaked me out totally.  How long have they been around?” she asked me. 

“Beats me ...” I replied.  “I’ve never seen anything like that before and today was the first time the kettle shit happened ...”

Once safely at Yvonne’s place I texted Glen, asking him to pick me up on his way home from his fishing trip, and swore to myself that I’d never spend time by myself in that house again.

We didn’t have any kettles turning themselves on and off, or ghosts clattering around in the laundry for some time, and I’d all but forgotten about that afternoon with Yvonne until some week later when I unexpectedly found myself home alone again  ... but that’s a whole other story ...
* As told by Jenny

The Ghost Cat

* As told by David

About 8 years ago, my partner Linda and I were at a house in Buderim being interviewed to be house-sitters. While sitting at the table chatting and drinking coffee, we met their dog and we were chatting about how sweet he was, but I thought it strange that they didn’t mention the cat that was walking around my legs brushing up against me (me not a cat lover). Eventually it jumped up on a chest of drawers sniffed around jumped off and wandered off down the hallway.

Eventually it got the better of me and I asked about their cat, whereupon they looked at me strange and said “what cat?”and I told them about the Siamese cat and where it went etcetera.  The lady nearly fainted because apparently the cat I described had died 3 years earlier and where it had been on the cupboard was where she used to feed it to stop the dog from eating her food. Needless to say, the hairs on the back of my neck were up on end at this stage and we didn’t get the job.

* As told by David

The Spirit's Warning Voice

* As told by Susan

This is one of my true stories, I do have more.

 When I was young I was always running away,  and on one  occasion I was picked up by a guy  who was thin, had afro hair, wore glasses and drove a white Valiant car.

He told me he would take me to New South Wales.  Wow that sounded so good, I thought, hopping into his car. His car was messy with things on the front and back floor, and as we were driving along I keep getting this cold feeling go through my body.

We had travel about 4-5 miles when he turned to me and said that he better contact the family just to let them know, we pulled up just passed the phone box which was near a bridge just ahead and by a train line.  While he was in the phone box all of a sudden I heard a voice telling me to "get out … Get Out … GET OUT  NOW!”  Three times this happened, but louder and louder each time.  Then the door window went icy, so I quietly opened the door and ran to the bridge and hid.

When he finished with the phone call he kept looking around  trying to find me, then shook his head, got back into his car and drove off. I waited for about 15minutes then left the bridge.

When I returned home  I told my mother about it.  A few months later I walked into the lounge room where my mother was watching a special news broadcast, and I said  to her “that's the guy who picked me up and was going to take me to N.S.W! What's he done?"

My mother said he had killed a  TV personality's son and is one of ‘The Family Members’,  and his name  was/is  Bevan Spencer von Einem.  He is now serving his life behind bars. My mother said I might have been he’s next victim if I hadn’t taken notice of the spirit voice.

The thing that is more interesting is this was not the first time he tried to pick me up.  I kept having and still do have dreams that when I was about 7-8 years old I was at the beach.  It was either Glenelg or Henley Beach in South Australia.  I was standing near a fence by a building all by myself and I watched a black car go by, then return, and a man who looked like the guy who wanted to take me to New South Wales  asked me if he could take me home.  Then  a member of my family came, and he walked away fast,  and my family told me they were sorry they’d forgotten me.

Its’ really funny though, when I went to have a reading done the person told me I was taken from my family and was given to another family …  that’s why I always felt lost and kept running away, even though I never revealed anything about myself.
* As told by Susan

Leanne's Spooky Stories

* As told by Leanne

1)

When I was about 15 I never believed in ghosts or anything really until this one night, and ever since I have believed and seen different things.

I had been reading a book in bed and then turned the light out.  I felt like there was someone in my room watching me and I thought it was my mum at the door as I saw a shadow of someone standing there. It was 12 pm and I could hear the TV on so I knew my mum was still up.  I quickly turned my light on and the feeling was gone the shadow was gone and my door was shut. I was so freaked out that I left my light on the rest of the night.

The next morning I found out my best friends' mum had died that exact time I felt someone in my room.  So I figured she was there to say good bye to me I still haven’t worked out why though.


2)

Two years later I had the same dream 3 nights in a row that my grandfather had died.  There was nothing wrong with him at all. The morning after the third nightmare about this my phone rang early in the morning and it was my Nanna asking my mum to come very quickly. 

My Grandfather had died in their garden from a massive heart attack.  I blamed myself for his death for years just because of having these dreams.  It took me years to tell my mum or anyone about this too.

3)

Years and years ago my Nanna was about to turn 70. The night before her birthday party I had the weirdest dream where she was at my bed, telling me that I have to be strong for everyone cause she was dying.  She wasn’t sick at all at this time.

The next day at her party before anyone had turned up she held my hand and told me to keep it in mind what she had said the night before in my dream (she must have had the same dream or something I couldn’t work that part out).

 A couple weeks later I came home from work and my mum was crying and I asked what was
wrong.  My Nanna had emphysema and they couldn’t do anything for her and she has to give up smoking which she didn’t like the thought of either.

For a year and a half she was in and out of hospital and finally passed away in her sleep while in hospital.  It felt so eerie because I knew something was wrong before it even was and I had to keep it to myself and be strong for everyone else.

4)

The night I had my first son they had just taken him to clean him, and then came back with him while everyone else had gone to let me rest.  I was holding my newborn Jesse and I felt and saw my Nanna sitting beside me (by this time she had passed away about seven years prior).  She told me he was beautiful and that she was so proud of me.  In those seven years my Nanna had come to see me from time to time and told me she was always here and watching over us all.

5)

I was very pregnant with my 3rd child, and my brother had been rushed to hospital and was lucky he got there when he did otherwise possibly wouldn’t have made it.  When he came out of a medically induced coma weeks later he had told everyone he had seen me and my new baby the night before.  I went in to see him just a few hours later and he asked where bubs was and why I still looked pregnant.  I still had 3 weeks to go and he had told me it was a boy and his name was Josh. 

When I did give birth it was a boy and we called him Josh because that’s the name I had liked anyway, but it was so weird that my brother had dreamt it and he looked the same as he had described so they have a special bond between them cause of it.

* As told by Leanne

THE LITTLE GHOST BOY IN THE BASEMENT

* As told by Jo

The ‘Ghost-Busting’ and paranormal investigation team arrived at around 7 PM at our old shop as pre-arranged. The group’s leader was a tall, striking woman who was a renowned clairvoyant and medium, and the rest of her group was made up of her two sisters, and six other women of varying ages. All the members of the team had varying levels of abilities and sensitivities and all had had paranormal experiences throughout their lives.

The group walked quietly through the entire shopfront and back building while my husband Robin and I told them of the twenty or so experiences of both ourselves and our staff members, particularly over recent months.  As we moved through the building we pointed out where the incidences had taken place.
Stopping at the stairwell leading to the basement, the group leader told us that she sensed a little boy around us.  We told her then that the child of one of our regular customers had said that he’d seen a little boy crying in a corner just a few weeks earlier.

Moving to another section of the large old store, the group leader began speaking of an elderly lady sitting by a tiny table with a very old-fashioned sewing machine in front of her.  She was hunched over the machine, intently trying to thread a needle that wasn’t there.

I felt the hairs on my arms and the back of my nick prick up instantly.  There was something about the description of the old lady with the sewing machine that seemed familiar somehow, but I just couldn’t place it.  I tried to put it out of my mind as we continued on towards the back store rooms.

One of the team leader's sisters (the younger of the two) had gotten ahead of us a bit, and turned back to call to the rest of us following behind.  She stopped mid-sentenced and stood stock-still staring at something above our heads.  We all instinctively looked up, but personally, I could see nothing.  A couple of the group members murmured and whispered between themselves.  The temperature in the room had dropped dramatically and a cold breeze seemed to waft around us ... almost through us it seemed.

In a moment or so (although it felt like an age) the temperature returned to normal and the leader began moving forward again on her quest to seek out any lurking spirits and ghosts.

Coming back towards the basement stairwell, the group leader and both her sisters immediately sensed the little boy she had encountered earlier.  As we gathered around the top of the stairs, a couple of others in the group were able to sense him as well.  One of the ladies proceeded down the stairs into the darkened basement, while the team leader lead us off towards the old kitchen area, where she was immediately drawn towards the large walk-in pantry.

She glanced across at another of the group members and nodded to her subtley.  The younger woman opened the door to the pantry and walked in, closing the door behind her.  The rest of us stood there looking on until the group leader motioned us towards the hallway leading back to the front of the store.
It was round about time for my husband Robin and I to head home and leave the team to do their job.  I didn’t envy them at all they night’s stay in our big old shop.

The following morning Robin and I returned to meet up with the paranormal group back at our shop.  They’d all survived the night it seemed.  Over hot coffees and hot rolls that Robin and I brought along with us, the team leader and her group told us of their adventures during the night, and of the (expected) results.

As it turned out, the little ghost boy in the basement had been the son of a previous owner, who had misbehaved and had been put in the basement on his own as punishment, by his father – the shopkeeper of the time.  The little boy had become bored very quickly so had began snooping amongst the old boxes and crates strewn throughout the basement.  According to the psychics amongst the group, the little boy had been playing in a big old wooden tea chest, when the heavy lid had fallen, sealing the poor boy in the box.  He’d tried and tried to push open the heavy crate lid, but he was no match for it’s over-powering weight and density.  The boy called and called, but his father was upstairs manning the store and too busy with customers to hear the distressed young child.

In time, the little boy must have nodded off to sleep in the big wooden box ... and that was the last thing he remembered.

The group assured me that the little boy had ‘gone to the light’ and was met by his mother and father, who had been waiting for him on the Other Side for a long, long time.

The identity of the old lady by the sewing machine hadn’t been established, but I was also assured that her spirit had moved on and she would no longer spend her eternal time attempting to thread a needle that didn’t exist.

According to one of the group members, the ghost-lady in the pantry had been a serving girl and kitchen-hand back in the days when the railroad came through and the passengers from the nearby station would come in for scones and tea before catching the next train out.

The group leader spoke of another two ghosts or entities that had presented to them during the night, and told us that collectively, all of the ghosts or spirits had now left the building and would not be returning.
Robin and I only hoped that she was right.

... two years on and we are about to sell our business to finally retire.  We haven’t had any disturbances and nothing unusual in the shop or basement since the paranormal team’s visit  -  and I just hope it stays that way for the new owners.

*

THE HAUNTED HIGH SCHOOL

* As told by Nicole

My job as a cleaner at a high school was hard work and odd hours, but with the help of my two daughters, Denise 16 and Sue 14, I enjoyed the work and appreciated the pay.  I’d been working there for three months so far, and was happy enough with my position and got along well with the other staff members.

While the girls and I were working one afternoon I noticed a plague on the wall, commemorating the re-opening of a wing of the school.  They’d named it the ‘Parry Wing’ after a former teacher.  I hadn’t noticed it before, and thought nothing more of it.

I heard Denise squeal suddenly and rushed over to see what the problem was.  “Someone brushed passed me,” she said anxiously.  There was only us three in the room, so I dismissed it as just her over-active imagination, much to Denise’s chagrin.

A few afternoons later, while working in the same section of the high school complex, Denise, Sue and I were finishing up the vacuuming before signing off for the day, when all of a sudden the power went out.  We stood looking at one another waiting for the electricity to turn back on.  But after 10 minutes or so I decided that we’d call it quits for the night, so I left a note on the maintenance man’s door letting him know about the electricity problem.

Just as we got to the car park and unlocked the car, the lights sprang back to life in the building.  I told the girls to stay in the car while I made my way back into the building to turn off the lights and re-check the locks ... but just as I stepped back inside, the lights went out and all fell silent again.  I stood there frozen on the spot, deciding what to do.  The lights flicked back on, then off again in a blink. Without hesitation I quickly re-locked the door and bolted back to my car as fast as I could. 

Once safely inside the car, the girls asked me who I’d been talking to inside the building.  I looked at them dumbly.  There hadn’t been anyone in there as far as I’d seen and I’d certainly hadn’t spoken to anyone, but both girls insisted that they’d seen someone who was quite tall walk across the room towards me as though speaking with me just before the lights went out for the second time.

A chill ran right through me, and I turned the key and took off home in a rush.  It was getting dark outside and I didn’t want to hang around that creepy place.  All three of us were completely spooked-out.

The following evening my daughters and I reluctantly went to work back at that haunted High School and experienced no disruptions or disturbances for the first hour or so  -  but just as we were relaxing and becoming a bit complacent, it was time to vacuum and dust the ‘Parry Wing’. 

Putting on a brave face for the sake of the girls (and myself for that matter) I pushed open the glass door and ushered in the large vacuum cleaner, buckets and cloths.  Working as quickly as we could, Sue, Denise and I whizzed through the chore list and within 15 minutes or so, were ready to finish up.

Packing up the vacuum cleaner, Sue went to unplug the power cord at the switch on the wall.  She flicked to switch to ‘off’ and grasped the plug, tugging with just enough force to ease it out of the socket.  But the plug wouldn’t budge.  She tugged again, and again the plug held fast.

Seeing her struggling I went over to help and gave the plug a hefty pull myself  -  but alas, the plug refused to move an inch.  Focusing on the stubborn plug, I didn’t noticed the pen rolling towards me on a nearby table  -  but Sue did.  She screamed and screamed in my ear and I stood up in shock, getting head spins instantly.  Sue pointed to the rolling pen and I watched it move by itself as though in a trance.  Denise stood rooted to the spot, mouth and eyes wide open, shaking her head in disbelief, and everything seemed surreal and in slow motion.  I couldn’t believe what we were seeing, but we were definitely seeing it.

Finally breaking from my mini-trance, I grabbed Sue’s hand and dragged her towards the door, ushering Denise ahead of us along the way.  I didn’t bother packing the vacuum cleaner and cleaning stuff away  -  just took off then and there leaving everything as we left it.

I vowed never to go back to that haunted High School  -  but I had to just one last time.

I fronted up to the school’s office the following day and handed in my resignation, beginning right then and there.  The human resource officer asked me why I’d decided to quit my job with such short notice, as she’d thought I seemed quite happy with the job.  I decided that I may as well be honest and upfront with her, so told her that I felt uncomfortable and spooked-out in the creepy ‘Parry Wing’ and about some of the things that my daughters and I had experienced over the last week or so in particular.

The human resource officer didn’t bat an eyelid.  Instead she sat nodding her head slowly, as though confirming what I was telling her.  Once I’d finished she asked me if I knew anything about the history of the school ... and in particular, the history of the ‘Parry Wing’.  I shook my head No as I had no idea.  She began by telling me that I wasn't the first person to quit the cleaner's position, nor was I the first to speak of 'disturbances' in the 'Parry Wing'. 

According to history, during the upgrade and renovation of the original school building, a large part of an old, brittle brick wall unexpectedly  fell down, killing a teacher who’d used his body to shield three children from harm, when the wall collapsed on them.  The teacher’s name had been ‘Steven Parry’ – hence the naming of that particular section the ‘Parry Wing’.  Apparently, Mr Parry had been quite a tall man at 6’5 and it had been assumed at the time that the new section of building would house his classroom in particular.  It seemed Steven Parry loved his job and didn't want to leave the school ... even after his death.

I haven’t been back to the haunted High School since then and it was some years ago now ... but I do sometimes wonder if the school teacher is still haunting the high school.

*