True Ghost Stories for a Halloween Night
All Hallows Eve is nearly upon us. This was the time of year, right before winter began, when the ancient Celts or Druids, believed a doorway would open between this world and the next and the spirits were most active, and destructive. The History Channel has a list of famous American ghosts on their website here. I haven’t encountered Ben Franklin or Abraham Lincoln myself, but I do have a trio of true ghost stories of my own to liven up your Halloween night (and one of those reasons why I am that Halloween Chicken!)
A St. Augustine Ghost Encounter
My husband and I stayed in a Bed & Breakfast with our three month old son in St. Augustine years ago. This particular historic inn was located right next to a cemetery- the one where the Love Tree stands. We sat on the balcony- our room was the front one on the right- and watched as groups of ghost tours would walk up to the cemetery and then walk away. We couldn’t hear what they said from our seats on the second floor.
Eventually it was time for bed. We had a big king bed, and our son was between us. Being a new mom, I was an extremely light sleeper. My husband snored away, our baby slept peaceful and eventually I closed my eyes, only to be woken up by young laughter- a child laughing. I woke up- checked the baby- he was asleep, and so was my husband. The laughter came again. The hairs on my arms stood on end and I snuggled closer to my son. Then eventually slept.
The next morning, over breakfast, I asked the proprietor if there were any other children (besides our baby) staying in the inn. He said no. I told him I heard another child, and he quickly brushed it aside and said “people hear all sorts of things here.” Please note, this couple was trying to sell their B & B at the time too.
I thought no more of it and we left. Seven years later, I took a St. Augustine Ghost Tour with my sister and they took us by that cemetery and the tour leader, Stormy Gail, told us a tale about a little boy named James who had died too young and was buried in that very cemetery. He haunts that corner of the cemetery (adjacent to the old B&B- which was no longer one at that time), looking for someone to play with him! So seven years later, I had a name to my ghost! But that has not been my only encounter…
The Greek Mountain Ghost
I once lived on a mountain outside of a village on the island of Corfu in Greece. One night I woke up to a light coming from the living room. Now in Greece, you NEVER leave lights on- electricity is too expensive, so I knew something was wrong. I got out of bed and grabbed a old police baton fashioned from a wooden chair leg (only in Greece!) and crept down the hall to the living room. There I saw a light up at the ceiling where the light hung- but this was not the light bulb, which was NOT on, but a bright ball of light. I must of gasped or made a noise, for all of a sudden it darted downwards, did a loop-de-loop and shot out the back shutters where one of the slats was missing. My heart was beating a mile a minute. What did I just see? A ghost? A fairy? An alien? A huge firefly on steroids? To this day, I have no idea.
Closer to Home: Ghost Encounter in Florida
Back in the states, when my father in law had just passed away, my son was three. I was sat at the dining room table with my son and daughter one night, having dinner, and all of a sudden, my son says: “I see Grandpa.”
I thought this was a slip of the tongue, or confusion on his part, and said, “you mean in the photo?”
“No, outside the window.”
Now I did not see his Grandpa, but when I asked him if he was there, he was for a while and then “went away.” (Yeah, I still get chills telling that one!)
There are many more tales to tell, but I try and keep on the bright side of things in life: My sister took a picture of me in my youth in the gardens of the Flagler Mansion in West Palm Beach, and in the photo I was surrounded by ghostly figures! I told myself all my life that they were angels- until I took that St. Augustine ghost tour! Very creepy! But I’ll still pretend they are guardian angels! Wish I could find that photo now.
Have you ever encountered a ghost? Let me know in the comment section below.
Stay Safe this Halloween!
More stories that may interest you:
Safe Halloween Trick or Treating Places
Running from Halloween Frights