Once I lived, for a few years, in a place called Ayr in Scotland. Just across the sea was the island of Arran. Well, I often thought I might like to visit that island. I eventually did, on a visit to Ayr, some years after I’d moved away. While I was there, Arran was so easily accessible I thought ‘I’ll go tomorrow’ – but never did.
Those who have read ‘Ghosthunting for the Sensible Investigator’ will recognise this photo. It’s of a derelict, abandoned house, left alone by surrounding road developments and a likely spot for an investigation. I’ve passed it many times and thought ‘I should spend a night in there’.
Those who have read ‘Ghosthunting for the Sensible Investigator’ will recognise this photo. It’s of a derelict, abandoned house, left alone by surrounding road developments and a likely spot for an investigation. I’ve passed it many times and thought ‘I should spend a night in there’.
I passed it again recently. It now looks like this:
Procrastination has killed any idea of an investigation here. Spending a night sitting on a pile of rubble holds no appeal for me. Nor, I suspect, does it appeal to any spirits who might once have been in residence. Even recording-type apparitions will be gone, because the structure that recorded them has been destroyed.
The house is to be part of a new site development. Retail units, I believe. One can only hope that any spirits who might have been in the house take up residence in the new shops, and that these shops are not filled with women’s clothing. I don’t want to be seen hanging around there if that’s the case. It’s not the sort of thing I want to be famous for.
There’s a lesson here. Don’t assume you can do something tomorrow, just because it’s possible to do it today. Putting things off has, in this case, led to disaster. It’s time to look again at that list of potential sites that are so easy to get at that I’ve always given them a low priority.
They might not be there tomorrow.
8 comments:
Are soirite recorded in the structure of a building? If the new houses are built will any spirit try to "haunt" the new structure after it's built?
Me was discussing this with Mrs. Monster just a few days ago!
There be a "haunted" House very close to where me lives and it is quite famous. Many families have tried to live there, but no one has lasted more than a few months.
In fact the area in which me lives has quite a few spots that are truly spooky. One is the site of an airplane crash (Me is getting goose pimples here)that scared the hell out of me in the middle of the afternoon. There be no way me be going there at night.
So back to me question do spooks remain after the building is gone or do they wait for a new place to live?
There's no definitive answer, because nobody's had that kind of in-depth conversation with a ghost. So we have theories, based on what we know.
Places, rather than houses, can be haunted. The site of a terrible accident might well be haunted by people who don't know they're dead, but are wandering, lost and confused and trying to get help from anyone who happens along. That would explain why you'd feel uneasy in those places - the ghosts are trying to speak to you and you can't quite hear them. Try taking a voice recorder.
As for the buildings, mostly when a building is demolished, the ghosts disappear. They might have been there because they liked the house. No house, no point in staying. When Borley Rectory burned down, most, but not all, of the haunting phenomena ceased. So it's not a cut and dried thing. If the ghost stays because of the house, they might leave when the house is destroyed. If they are attached to the place, they might stay, and they might haunt a new house built on that site. This is a subject with many variables: we don't know what all the variables are and we've no definite method for measuring any of them as yet. It can be frustrating, but it's always a challenge.
There have been cases where a ghost was reported to walk through a house built on an old path. There are sometimes reports of 'layers': a haunted house is demolished, a new house is built on the site, someone dies in the new house, and now there are the original ghosts and the new ghost. Sometimes they are aware of each other, sometimes not.
Sometimes I think being dead is even more complicated than being alive. Perhaps that's why people reincarnate: they decide it's less difficult being alive than dead.
That's the long answer. The short answer is: nobody knows for sure.
Rom:
I have a question.
In spite of his name, which one might think would make him immune, scary monster admits he is creeped out in the vicinity of the supernatural. Me too. Most people, I think.
If you investigate professionally or even as a hobby, do you get beyond those feelings? Have you ever been scared out of your socks in spite of your scientific approach?
Think of it this way:
I don't like heights, not even stepladder heights. I've seen slaters fixing a roof on a three-story building with spiked railings beneath.
That would scare me to death. To them, it's just what they do. They're used to it.
Still I think that if one of them slipped on the slates, even if only an inch, they'd get a fright.
I'm not scared of spiders. I can lie on the grass and if one crawls onto my leg, I won't even bother to brush it off.
One morning, I put on a shirt and there was a fat, hairy spider on the shoulder. I nearly jumped out of my skin.
Studying the supernatural means just that: studying. Spiders are scary until you get to know about them, and realise that (in the UK at least) they're harmless. Heights are scary until you get used to them.
Ghosts are scary until you realise they're just people. Often they are frightened, lost people. Once in a while you meet someone or something that's just nasty, and they can sneak up on you and give you a scare.
Like the spider on my shoulder, I know a ghost won't hurt me, but that doesn't mean I won't jump if one pops up unexpectedly.
If you're alone in a dark room, you turn around and there's someone standing behind you, you'll jump. Whether they're alive or dead. And they enjoy making you jump, you can see it on their faces.
Hey Rom, I've been missing your blog.
I agree with what you said. I'm not afraid of ghosts. Really. I'm not. But when I'm alone in the house in the middle of the night and hear a strange noise ... I get a little spooked. Not long ago, I was in the kichen in the middle of the night, and the only light was a flourescent one on the stove. One of the cats jumped up on the counter and walked across the stove, casting a sudden dark shadow in the room, and it scared the crap out of me. And then there was a time when Catfish and I were in the kitchen, and he looked over my shoulder and I'd never seen such an expression of terror on his face. Something scared the crap out of him. Naturally, I whirled around because I thought something was behind me, but no, nothing there. Nothing I could see, anyway.
So I guess your answer is that sometimes a ghost is able to scare you.
btw, too bad this place was demolished. I rather liked it.
Hi, SW. Sorry to hear about the problems you're all having with poisoned pet food over there. I hope Sneezy recovers.
I hoped to see that house restored one day. I've never seen another like it.
And yes, ghosts can give you a scare when they do something unexpected. Like the spider though, it only lasts until you realise what's happening.
Thanks, Professor. I hope she recovers, too.
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