A Haunting in Canton

2010-07-11T10:57:00.001-07:00

Fair Use of Clip Art Image is Claimed

The Averting Doll

There are some things we have to live with – not always of our own choosing. Some of these things are alive (friends, relatives, the people you work with) and some not alive (objects, concepts, the dead). Oh, don’t get that wrong – some people live with the dead only in a figurative sense. Some folks continue to live with the dead because they share their houses, their living quarters and even some of the inanimate objects they have left behind. Our mother passed away just over 4 years ago – it was the day after her seventieth birthday. Even so, her passing still hurts and affects some of us even now. One object she left behind I have named “The Averting Doll”.

She left behind a large array of ordinary things and some that are a little special to her and her family. She really got into handcrafts in the last couple of decades of her life. She became quite good with crocheting and other needlework. She was very good with a sewing machine and other forms of stitchery, too. She even built a 1/10th scale scratch-built doll house on her own – and painted it too. She became good enough to stitch and crochet doll’s clothes that would fit dolls of her selection exactly. Of the room full’s of stuff she left behind, one particularly good example is a doll of about 18” in height in a white crochet wedding dress.

The doll stands on an étagère in the most remote corner of my (current) bedroom and is near the head of my bed. Even so, the doll is in such a remote location that it is difficult for anybody to access. That is until just last week or so. This week, realizing my mother had not left me anything in her will, I uttered some oaths about it. Well, the doll turned its head 180° to face the corner – on its own. No strangers or service people had been in the house. I asked my family if they had touched the doll – knowing that most of them would have been unable – of course they had not. Now, I still go to sleep in that same room, with chills running up and down my back.

I have never touched the doll myself, except to knock off a cobweb now and then. And I have never touched the head of the doll – never. The averting doll’s face and head remain turned to face the corner – forever…

07112010/1

2010-01-29T07:38:00.000-08:00

The Phantom Visitor or The Bedside Ghost

As some of you know, we've made "reports" of strange visitors before. Like our Ghost Kitty, Casper. Unfortunately, this took place after viewing our favorite Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes Episode, "The Cardboard Box". But, we viewed a few other programs after "The Box", so our memory should have been clear. As always, no alcohol nor controlled substances were involved. Except some acetaminophen. The thing about "The Box" is that it was so wickedly clever on many levels (especially for its time) and a great story of the supernatural...

But we digress, our senior editor went to sleep around 11pm and found himself soundly asleep when he was awoken by someone else checking the thermostat (it was in the single digits last night, outside...). So, it must have been cold enough to drive ghosts and other things-that-go-bump-in-the-night indoors... He managed to go back to a sound sleep in short time.

Later, even later, he was awoke in the dead of the night by somebody tugging at his right elbow. The significance of the elbow being that it was swollen and smarting with pain near the outside of the joint for the past several days. Also, his elbow was in the opposite direction of the light from the thermostat's location. So it wasn't another visit to that...but something else.

When he awoke, he opened his eyes to see a pale, shining white, human-shaped form standing between his bedside and the wall opposite. It seemed to be retreating from him. He could not make out any "facial features". But it seemed to have a body, a head and possibly arms. The thing was retreating from him and seemed to disappear or dematerialize out of the wall behind him. Too tired and too sleepy to be startled by this thing, he whispered "Mother" (she passed away 4 years ago) and went back to sleep. We told him today that he should have jumped up to the window to see if he could see it outside. He said he guessed he didn't want to - he just wanted his sleep!

Strangely, his elbow was no longer swollen and smarting with pain. Just a little tender to the touch. He wished the thing had touched his thigh...and his empty wallet pocket... He didn't believe it was a dream...but it could have been some kind of hallucination, or illusion...or...

Bit.ly: http://bit.ly/94V4vn

2009-11-20T10:17:00.001-08:00

Image licensed under Creative Commons by Sapphireblue

Ghost Kitty: Updated: Casper (What our senior editor is calling his ghost cat, for now...) is, apparently, back. He felt it batting at his feet during the night last night, Wednesday, December 2, 2009, but never saw the thing...

We know - this is nuts. But, our senior editor claims to have a new pet. He saw it in his bedroom Tuesday night (Nov 17). He claims he saw the tail of a black cat (erect) pass quickly by the foot of his bed - and there has never been a cat in his place... When he saw it he said "What the Hell!" in his Walter/Jeff Dunham voice. He has not seen it since. But later Tuesday night, he could feel it pawing the hell out of his foot, just the way a live cat would in play. No, no...he wasn't drinking...

He can only guess that it might be the ghost of one of the twin black cats that used to hang around his front porch. They disappeared just about a year ago. Sigh, just when we thought things might get back to normal.

FOM: Wikipedia page on Ghost. "Real Ghost Cat" image link on flickr.

2009-10-30T12:13:00.000-07:00

Men In Black: Having viewed episode # 310 ("The Silencers") of The History Channel's UFO Hunters, we felt mildly inspired in writing our own hypothesis on the infamous "Men In Black". Not fans of the mildly popular film series (nor of Will Smith...please TBS...no more reruns...) and having had our own UFO encounters, we feel quite confident in saying that we've never had an encounter with these Men In Black. At least, that we know of... But, we asked ourselves, what motivates someone to come into their employ? That is, what psychological profile would you need to match in order to become such an employee?

Well, first of all, we think you would have to have a slightly investigatory personality. And, you would need an interest in compelling persons (that is "witnesses") to remain silent. In other words, you would need a person who is in direct opposition to doing standard police work. You would need to meet the psychological profile of a secret police person(nel)...

In other words, you would need personnel who enjoy/need the feeling of personal power and control over others in a totalitarian state. If you believe any of this, then you might also feel that despite playing a role as a democracy, the USA is (secretly) a totalitarian state. Especially when it comes to matters concerning extraterrestrials. You would need to be a person willing to accept these matters as one of fact. If indeed the "Men In Black" really do exist...then perhaps so do the extraterrestrials...and that this country we spoke of is really a totalitarian one.

Please note: This posting appears simultaneously on our sister publication, The Anti-Zen Dictionary.

Bit.ly: http://bit.ly/2XPeL7

Hmmm, look for this website to suddenly and mysteriously disap...

2009-10-26T08:59:00.000-07:00

Halloween Video Suggestions II: These movies may have redefined (your) Halloween Holiday. The list has been revised, updated and categorized (Midnight Viewing, Well After Midnight, Before Midnight and Classic TV Programs...). OK, its still incomplete, but we can't include everything... Now includes mini-reviews...

To Be Viewed At Midnight…

Black Sabbath (1963, Mario Bava, Boris Karloff) Our favorite vignette – “The Drop of Water”…you may let loose some liquids with this one… Even we don't own a copy of this film - and we refuse to. It is just that scary.

The Haunting (1963, Robert Wise, Julie Harris, Claire Bloom…) Unsurpassed eeriness and low-budget special effects and elegant filmwork… Its almost as if Shirley Jackson was right there with you…

Dead of Night (1945, Several directors, Michael Redgrave) Have you seen this?

Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954, Jack Arnold, Richard Carlson) Classic monster.

The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957, Jack Arnold, Grant Williams) Still a mind-bender, even today.

Psycho (1960, Alfred Hitchcock, Janet Leigh) Classic Hitchcock.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956, Don Siegel, Kevin McCarthy) Camp classic.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978, Philip Kaufman, Donald Sutherland, and more…) Though a “remake”, its really more than the sum of its parts…Great cast…

The Blob (1958, Irvin Yeaworth, Steve McQueen) Love the cheap, but horrific special effects.

The Blob (1988, Chuck Russell, Kevin Dillon, Shawnee Smith) Love Shawnee Smith and some of the devouring scenes!

Night of the Living Dead (1968, George A. Romero, Duane Jones) Keep a bucket handy!

The Thing (1982, John Carpenter, Kurt Russell) Absolute classic. Love this. It’s a nightmare captured on film.

They Live (1988, John Carpenter, Roddy Piper...) Sometimes an absolute hoot. More famous lines in horror movies came out of Roddy Piper than in all the others combined..."I am here to chew bubble-gum and kick ass. And, I am all out of bubble-gum!". "Life's a b****, and she's in heat!" to Keith David. And, "Your face looks like it fell in guacamole in 1957!" to one of the aliens. Meg Foster's character is marvellously treacherous.

Prince of Darkness (1987, John Carpenter, Donald Pleasance) A real "sleeper". And, the late, great Donald Pleasance is in this one - always a pleasure.

The Mothman Prophecies (2002, Mark Pellington, Richard Gere...) A great Richard Gere movie? Yes, this one is great and sometimes based on real-life experiences and disasters connected in some way or another to The Mothman. Note: The Mothman features only briefly in a few scenes - its said - but we've never been able to identify him. The ending is, though, more than a little unbelievable. But, do you want to meet Indrid Cold?

Interview with the Vampire (1994, Neil Jordan, Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt...) This really was a masterpiece of the macabre, with a Gran Guignol (literally and misspelling intended...) placed within a Gran Guignol. Cruise was inspirational as Lestat. Featuring Antonio Banderas and a very young (and exceptionally gifted) Kirsten Dunst. Ce fantastique!

Trilogy of Terror (1975, Dan Curtis, Karen Black) Have you seen this? A forgotten ‘classic’. Karen Black is morbidly great.

The Funhouse (1981, Tobe Hooper, Elizabeth Berridge) A small gem of small town terror.

Poltergeist (1982, Tobe Hooper, Heather O’Rourke…) Love the kitchen chairs scene…

Jeepers Creepers (1981, Victor Salva, Gina Phillips) Oh, Hi!!

The Thing from Another World (1951, Howard Hawks, Christian Nyby, James Arness – as the Monster) The original classic.

Sleepy Hollow (1999, Tim Burton, Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci…) Tim Burton at his maniacal, inspired best!

The Serpent and The Rainbow (1988, Wes Craven, Bill Pullman) The zombie bride and the “hand in the soup” scenes are the tops!

The Exorcist (1973, William Friedkin, Ellen Burstyn…) Unsurpassed. To Be Viewed Well After Midnight…

The Mummy (1932, Karl Freund, Boris Karloff) Classic.

Frankenstein (1931, James Whale, Boris Karloff) Classic.

The Wolfman (1941, George Waggner, Lon Chaney, Jr.) Classic.

The Body Snatcher (1944, Robert Wise, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi) Creepy.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956, Don Siegel, Kevin McCarthy) See it again.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978, Philip Kaufman, Donald Sutherland, and more…) See it again.

X: The Man With X-Ray Eyes (1963, Roger Corman, Ray Milland) Still a mind-bender, at times, unforgettable…

It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958, Edward L. Cahn, Marshall Thompson) A fun ride for all.

Fiend Without A Face (1958, Arthur Crabtree, Marshall Thompson) Very grotesque climax.

The Blob (1958, Irvin Yeaworth, Steve McQueen) Love the cheap, but horrific special effects.

The Blob (1988, Chuck Russell, Kevin Dillon, Shawnee Smith) Love Shawnee Smith and some of the devouring scenes!

Night of the Living Dead (1968, George A. Romero, Duane Jones) Keep a bucket handy!

Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975, Jim Sharman, Sorry, Tim Curry stole this one…) (?)

Forbidden Planet (1956, Fred M. Wilcox, Leslie Nielsen) Great film…the murder and monster scenes might qualify this for Halloween viewing…

The Sixth Sense (1999, M. Night Shyamalan, Bruce Willis) Just superb. A wonder for Night.

Trilogy of Terror (1975, Dan Curtis, Karen Black) Great…

Godzilla “King of the Monsters!” (1956, Ishiro Honda,Terry Morse , Raymond Burr) Classic…

Invaders from Mars (1953, William Cameron Menzies, Jimmy Hunt…) Classic…we believe you, Jimmy!

Invaders from Mars (1986, Tobe Hooper, Karen Black…) Best Line: “They understand! They understand!...”

The Funhouse (1981, Tobe Hooper, Elizabeth Berridge) Best Line: “Blood is thicker than water”.

Poltergeist (1982, Tobe Hooper, Heather O’Rourke…) See it again.

Jeepers Creepers (2001, Victor Salva, Gina Phillips) Hi again! The sequel: Jeepers Creepers 2 Is a low-rated sequel but you shouldn't miss it. The last 20 - 30 minutes are action-packed in a way you haven't seen since the climax of "Jaws".

The Howling (1981, Joe Dante, Dee Wallace-Stone) A sexy horror movie?

An American Werewolf in London (1981, John Landis, David Naughton)

The Fly (1958, Kurt Neumann, Vincent Price) Macabre science fiction.

The Fly (1986, David Cronenberg, Jeff Goldblum) Nauseatingly good at times.

Arachnophobia (1990, Frank Marshall, Jeff Daniels) Funny yet deadly?

The Exorcist (1973, William Friedkin, Ellen Burstyn…) You are compelled to watch this one.

The Body Snatcher (1944, Robert Wise, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi) Fun with creeps. How'd that corpse get there...?

The Relic (1997, Peter Hyams, Penelope Ann Miller...) This film transforms itself from a terrible B-movie to a rather terrifying monster movie. The special effects used to create the 'Kothoga' are convincing and terrifying. Put the little ones to bed before putting this one on...

To Be Viewed Before Midnight…

The Shining (1980, Stanley Kubrick, Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall) Genius.

Alien (1979, Ridley Scott, Sigourney Weaver) Modern classic genius.

Predator (1987, John McTiernan, Arthur Schwarzenegger) A great Arnold film?

The Birds (1963, Alfred Hitchcock, Tippi Hendren…) A little dated, but still a good ride…

Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975, Jim Sharman, Sorry, Tim Curry stole this one…) Tim Curry anyone?

The Thing (1982, John Carpenter, Kurt Russell) See it again. A genius nightmare caught on film. Masterpiece.

The Thing from Another World (1951, Howard Hawks, Christian Nyby, James Arness – as the Monster) Camp classic.

Sleepy Hollow (1999, Tim Burton, Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci…) Christina Ricci at her finest.

The Others (2001, Alejandro Amenabar, Nicole Kidman) So who knew Nicole Kidman could act?...no, seriously, she is just great in this thriller.

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992, Francis Ford Coppola, Gary Oldman, Winona...oh, forget it...) As always, Gary Oldman brings that extra something to the screen, whereas Winona...oh, forget it...(?)

Forbidden Planet (1956, Fred M. Wilcox, Leslie Nielsen) Does this fit the list?

The Sixth Sense (1999, M. Night Shyamalan, Bruce Willis) See it again.

Young Frankenstein (1974, Mel Brooks, Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle…) Still great. The cameo of Gene Hackman still provokes wild laughter.

Invaders from Mars (1953, William Cameron Menzies, Jimmy Hunt…)

Invaders from Mars (1986, Tobe Hooper, Karen Black…)

Mars Attacks! (1996, Tim Burton, Jack Nicholson...) Martin Short and Glenn Close and many others make up inspired casting in this one. Strange how we almost forgot this one...

The Howling (1981, Joe Dante, Dee Wallace-Stone) An American Werewolf in London (1981, John Landis, David Naughton)

Cujo (1983, Lewis Teague, Dee Wallace-Stone) Keep your shots up to date!!

The Dead Zone (1983, David Cronenberg, Christopher Walken) Drop dead brilliant.

Arachnophobia (1990, Frank Marshall, Jeff Daniels)

The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996, John Frankenheimer, Marlon Brando…) 2 words: Fairuza Balk. Oh, you need more? How about a way-over-the-top Marlon Brando as the gloriously *M*A*D* Dr. Moreau, Val Kilmer's character loses his sanity just before the climax and is David Thewlis's character human or ...? Kind of like Doctor Doolittle meets Apocalyspe Now. A tribute to the late, great Marlon Brando's screen presence is the way he stole the scene where he initially appears amidst a throng of half-crazed, mutant, hybrid, half-human beast animals.

The Addams Family (1991, Barry Sonnenfeld, Raul Julia…) The whole cast is a hoot.

Addams Family Values (1993, Barry Sonnenfeld, Raul Julia…) Better than the first?

The Twilight Zone (1983 Various Directors, Various Actors…) Kevin McCarthy is a cult favorite in this film version and John Lithgow is a hoot.

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993, Henry Selick, William Hickey…) The Tim Burton modern classic.

Classic Television Programs

The Outer Limits (the classic series from the '60's, not the later version...)

The Twilight Zone (including the later version from the '80's...) Amazing that a half-century old program still has this much impact...

One Step Beyond (featuring the great and largely forgotten John Newland...) All right, it never had quite the polish of The T-Zone, but almost always based on factual tales of the paranormal right out of everyday life. Catch it if you can. The most "Fortean" of these television shows. Best line? "I'm so tired I wish I was dead...".

Alfred Hitchcock Presents (featuring The Master of Suspense himself, Alfred Hitchcock...)

And at least two episodes from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (starring the late, great Jeremy Brett). Those being The Cardboard Box and The Hound of the Baskervilles. Not to be missed. We suppose it was fitting that The Hound was feature-length and The Box was the series finale. We know, we know...we left out some or all of your favorites. You know what they are...Halloween, Friday the 13th, Scream, Texas Chainsaw, Saw, Hostel...the list goes on...we just can't cover them all. Updated/Revised: Friday, October 16, 2009. Saturday, October 17, 2009. Sunday, October 18, 2009. Wednesday, October 21, 2009. Monday, October 26, 2009.

2009-08-05T10:50:00.000-07:00

With apologies, we are back. We apologize to the people who have provided us with information for our most recent posting, in case we don't seem sincere or get the facts wrong. But we are sincere.

Seems our senior editor was manning his post at the Museum yesterday (Tuesday, August 4, 2009) when he answered an incoming phone call. The call came from a lady in the next town over who was looking up information on an 'unwelcome visitor' who had taken up residence in her daughter's apartment in Canton. Not being the most gullible type, the editor at first that the unwelcome visitor was of the living type. That assumption was wrong.

Always charitable to patrons and passers-by, our editor took notes and information from the lady on the other end of the phone. The lady (who we shall identify as JB) went on to say that the visitor's name was Arthur or McAarthur or something like that. He was from Reading, PA.. He was possibly a magistrate or judge. He was also relating what happened to him as being around the Truman era. The man appeared to be very confused.

At first, our editor thought - a little slow on the uptake we might add - is this some man claiming to be some sort of long-lost relative taking up residence in her daughter's apartment (whom whe shall call TB)? Turns out he was wrong - dead wrong. The gentleman - errr, spirit - turns out to be a spirit... At this point he told the lady that this raised her case from the interesting to the singular (shades of Sherlock Holmes)...

Also, there was some sort of association with a woman named "Joan". Though Joan is a familiar name, we told JB that it really is an uncommon name around here. She remarked that yes it is. Regarding the demise of the 'visitor', all he would say to TB in response to questioning was the short phrase "Lights Out". (We did not discuss, nor were aware of any connection to the old radio program Lights Out - which show appears to be contiguous with the Truman era). Apparently, the gentleman had met with a sudden, violent end. Suicide? Murder? The place was in the Joy Road and Haggerty Road area.

As a result of the persistence of her visitor in seeking her attention, TB has been spending some nights on JB's couch. We must say that JB repeated these many elements to the story many times. Which gives us reason to believe in her version of this. Further, he (the editor) did not feel (using whatever empathic abilities he may have) any intent to deceive on the part of JB. We have not spoken to TB. Our editor remarked that he was not aware of any family by that name in the Canton area. But, checking the white pages, there may be.

JB also remarked about her brother, JS, who has psychic abilities - as apparently does TB. TB appears to be an 'empath'. Our editor remarked at one point that he has had at least one similar experience with his niece. See our previous postings.

Of further interest, JS (the brother) had been called upon to 'send over' the deceased spirit of one Jim Hunt. Apparently, Jim Hunt worked as an informant/mole inside the infamous Purple Gang and paid for it with his life. Seems that Mr. Hunt went to a meeting with the gang in a nearby town (with bad feelings) and against the warnings of his boss. That was the last of the mortal Jim Hunt. And, yes, JS had successfully found a way to 'send over' (to the other side) Mr. Hunt. Mr. Hunt's spirit no longer haunts these environs.

Apparently TB's visitor is remarkably attached to her. He has touched her garment (without permission). He has yelled at her when upset. Though we find these phenomena of great interest, there is a problem with all this. TB appears to be the only person that can see and hear 'Arthur'. Further, he appears to fear contact with the living and 'hides' (which reminds us of 'Tony' in Steven King's 'The Shining'...) This does appear to stretch credulity. Further there is more than one spirit haunting TB and her apartment. But, JB's sincerity tempers our incredulity - as well as our experience with the other world. We understand the very real fear and concerns the living have in dealing with the dead.

TB is 22 years of age at this writing. She had confessed to having this disturbing...ability...since she was 12 years of age. Which, curiously, may overlap with the release of M. Nignt Shyamalan's 'The Sixth Sense'. Do we have a case of life imitating art? (We know, some of you might disagree with calling this or other Shyamalan's films as art). Or is it something more?

Our senior editor, however, had decided to take a more scientific approach and offered to do some research for JB in the archives to see if he could find information on this poor spirit. He did this and spoke to one of the senior curators of the Museum - who is also a long-time resident of Canton. The curator knew of no such person nor violent incident when he recounted the tale of TB and 'Arthur'. The archivist suggested that such a thing may have been covered up. The editor (thinking of this previously) agreed and then recalled the infamous case of Leonard Tyburski and furthered his discussion with the curator and the archivist.

In 1989, Mr. Tyburski was arrested and convicted for the murder of his wife. Seems that (one of them) his daughter (or both) had been having nightmarish visions of their mother who had gone missing for some years. Seems that the (deceased) mother had been relaying information that she had been murdered by her/the husband. After which, he had deposited her remains in the basement freezer - and had sealed it with a padlock. Concerned by this disturbing vision and the disappearance of the mother, the girl(s ?) checked the freezer. And, yes, there she lay. It was quite a sensational story in the local news at the time. Our editor recounted this story to JB in a follow-up phone call to her.

JB seemed greatly appreciative of the return call and remarked on that several times. Her gratitude and interest and the almost-hour long conversation indicated the depth of her sincerity. He did get some more detail out of JB - which she remarked as having forgotten (apparently, 'Joan' has a last name and/or middle name). He reported that his research turned up nothing on 'Arthur', McArthur, McAarthur and Joan and all the variations on the names. There was no record, no notes, no death certificates, nothing that he could find in the archives. He did not mention that news articles from that period of time were rare. But, we expect he will check back on that... After all, Henry Ford passed away about that time, and there are newspapers still available on the topic. (Ford, too, passed away suddenly - and unexpectedly - due to an accident - though you won't find the details in the Wikipedia...).

He did report on similar local family names (particularly those that start with the letter 'A'), and some who had perished around the same time. One named 'Frank' who passed away on Oct. 24, 1952. Also, that Haggerty Road (mentioned above) had been renamed - it had been previously named for the same family name that 'Frank' belonged to. We gave JB a list of questions to ask this spirit:

1) When and where was he born? (JB suspects he will answer Reading, PA.).
2) That he has a friend here from Pennsylvania (the editor's mother was from Wilkes-Barre).
3) 'Joan''s last name?
4) Was he in love with/marrying Joan - was it a love triangle?
5) Where is his physical body (in case it had never been found)?
6) Was he visiting a particular farm/family/piece of property at the time?
And many other questions...

Eventually, (it took about an hour) the conversation ended and JB thanked our editor again.

And our editor returned to work he had planned to do for the remaining 2 hours of the day (the case had so far taken 4 hours...by the way it is Case # 01_111_2009...we'll correct that later if it is in error...)

That night, our editor, still intrigued, took it upon himself to search for more clues in his own historical resources on Canton. He may have found 'Arthur' and 'Joan', he thinks, but requires further investigation. He hopes to hear back from JB or to speak to her again. Also, he thinks he needs to talk to one of his other associates at the Museum...JT.

To be continued?...

2007-11-28T12:51:00.000-08:00

Our Recent Encounter with a "UFO"...

NOT a UFO in the traditional sense (you know, flying saucers, aliens...), but still an "unidentified" object in the sky. Recently, between 6 AM and 6:30 AM, we saw what appeared to be a very unusual phenomena in the pre-dawn sky. This happened on the so-called "Black Friday" (November 23, 2007 - the day after Thanksgiving...). We'll name it a "skystring".

We were walking to work (again) in the pre-dawn hours, when we spotted something hovering in the southwest sky, about 30° above the horizon or so. It appeared to be of an electric blue color, and of a short string-like shape. It appeared to be of one shape one moment, and another the next...flexing and curling. Altitude could not be determined. Its shape kept changing, becoming angular and even forming a circular pattern combined with the angle.

When we arrived at the store, the thing was still visible. It was a very strange sight. We waited for another witness, and one of my regular customers did show up. The store was not yet open, and she was in a hurry to do her shopping. We asked her if she also saw the thing. She said yes, she did. We asked her what the hell it was? She said it was a UFO, she then drove off, more interested in her shopping than a UFO (!).

By the time the manager arrived to let us in the store, it was too late to get a camcorder and camera to record the thing. It was no longer visible in the dawn sky.Later that day we told our store manager of this sighting and asked if we could borrow a one-time-use camcorder and digital camera that had been previously written off. She consented.

That night, on our way home from our other job, we video recorded the sight in the night sky. This time, it had moved to the southeast corner of the sky, and was performing as before. We did have time to capture a 30 second record of it. The digital camera proved useless. We have yet to download the recording to a DVD as we are waiting for more opportunities to view and record. However, cloud cover and snow and rain have obscured the object or thing. We look forward to posting this video in the future.

2007-04-09T10:05:00.001-07:00

And the Man Who "Dreamed" His Future Bride's Phone Number...

Is this true or a hoax? We'll probably never know. URL: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070409/od_nm/britain_text_dc

2007-02-18T11:01:00.000-08:00

Was it an Angel, a Spirit, a Vision, or...?

My mother passed away about 10 months ago. One of her hobbies was making handmade dolls. She made some that were exquisite.

I was in her basement (cellar) the other day, where she kept some of her dolls. In the central space of the basement, I saw a huge, very ornately decorated doll that looked something like an angel...I couldn't remember a huge doll of this size and decoration being in that spot. I was fooled into believing that it was one of her dolls. I turned and looked away. And then I thought, "There is no doll there". I turned and looked back, and indeed there was nothing there. Was it an angel, a spirit, a vision, some kind of hallucination, or...?

2007-01-21T10:52:00.000-08:00

I saw what appeared to be a moving apparition early on the morning of Wednesday, January 17,2007.

The previous day, my vehicle had broken down in severe weather (I repaired it some days later).

This forced me to walk to my job at a local retailer early this morning. I left my place about 6 am so that I could arrive in time to open the business.

Of course it was very dark and I was walking by starlight. I was not aware of any vehicles coming or going around me.

Crossing a major east-west road to my northbound path, I saw a lone white figure that was walking on the path I was going to take. The lone figure was about a half block ahead of me.

The figure appeared as a blur and appeared to be feminine. I was not aware of its point of origin. Though, it looked like it should have come from my side of the road, but I had not seen it/her/him cross the road. It was like the figure had just appeared on the path ahead of me.

I thought it was too early for a lone jogger or someone out for their morning exercise. Also, they were not dressed suitably for the cold winter morning.

Seeking to investigate, I tried to catch up with the figure. I turned northbound as I left my east-west path (I had been heading west). I looked and listened for the figure. I looked all around, but could see absolutely no figure in white. I couldn't hear anything. There wasn't a soul around. As I said, their were no vehicles so this figure could not have been a trick of some vehicle's headlights.

The lone figure had vanished and now I was completely alone and very disconcerted.

I have not seen anything like this figure since...

2006-12-27T12:29:00.000-08:00

My question to my niece after this true story is, "How can you sleep at night"?

Recently, my niece and her recently engaged boyfriend moved in with his grandmother (who was some ninety years old and very sick) in Eastpointe, Michigan to live and care for her.

The grandmother had recently made the decision to expire at her home. This happened on my nieces's watch.

During this period, a "dark apparition" would appear in the house. The apparition would appear and disappear without notice. It was visible to anyone or anything present. For example, the dogs would bark at it when it was present.

They contacted the local church authorities (Catholic) to have the apparition investigated and a nun was sent to the house. The nun did observe the apparition just like everybody else did. The nun asked the apparition to leave if it was a bad spirit, but told it it was welcome to stay if friendly. Receiving no answer, the apparition stayed in the house and the nun assumed that the spirit (or apparition) was neither good nor bad and was just neutral. It was noted that the grandmother's son had expired before her and it is thought it may have been his spirit. He passed away from cancer.

For the last two weeks of her life, the grandmother could not move nor speak nor even open her eyes and just laid in bed with my niece watching over her. The apparition was present at times in the room with her.

On the last day of her life, the grandmother sat bolt upright and started talking to my niece and the apparition as well. She then passed away.

The apparition has not been seen in the house since her death.

This is a true story.

2006-09-29T10:42:00.000-07:00

My own version of the "Dead Zone" (after Stephen King).

On the six-month eve of my mother's death, I had an experience that night that I won't forget.

I found myself in my bed - in my underthings - awake and on top of a crumbling century-old red brick building. It was like one of those old red brick, industrial type buildings you might in some parts of southside Chicago or in the downtown area of Milwaukee.

The roof of the building was missing, and the top floor (the one I found myself on) was partially demolished. I looked around and noticed that the ceiling was missing and the floor and walls were partially demolished. I wondered how in the hell I had got there. The floor I was on appeared to be part of an abandoned old newsstand and book store stand. I could clearly see old books and magazines and their titles from my position on the bed. I could even clearly make out one obscure old book title. It was Naval Wrecks of the Great Lakes". And there were other nautical titles around.

I noticed that I was not alone. I was with a group of peope that had also come - or teleported - to the same location. I remember even having a conversation with one girl with long black hair wearing eyeglasses. But, I can't remember the conversation.

I then wondered how in the hell I was going to get back home. At that thought, I found myself back in my bedroom at home on my bed and that I was completely awake. That is, it seemed that I had not been asleep...

Did this really happen? Or was it some hyper-lucid dream? It was so vivid and felt so real.

I have heard of the phenomenon of prisoners finding themselves teleported to some other place to temporarily escape their misery, torture and imprisonment. (An aside; yes torture in prison does exist. A former coworker of mine - who was a former prison guard - revealed to me that he was usually depressed by the frequent beatings they inflicted on the inmates).

I never expected to have this phenomenon happen to me.

2006-07-18T11:20:00.000-07:00

The Motel Room Bed and the "Incubus"

Lord, I almost forgot about this one, and how could I? This was the one of the scariest things that ever happened to me and that I think could ever happen to anybody.

I was living in a motel room at the time, several years ago, and not finding anything more suitable to live in I was quite content. Until one night...

As usual, I had turned off all the lights for a night's sleep. In the middle of the night I was suffocating while sleeping on my back. I awoke to the definite feeling that something had sat itself upon my face and physically blocked my airways. I fought to get up and struggled to turn on the light. There was no sign of anyone else in my room, but it was clear to me that something or someone had put itself on my face in my sleep. I got up and checked the entire room. The room was empty. The bathroom was empty. The single window and door were locked and bolted from inside. There was nothing under the bed. I checked everything in that room.

Satisfied that I was quite alone, I turned off all the lights again and returned to my bed. I managed to get back to sleep. Sometime during my slumber I had the same experience. Fighting for my breath I managed to get the invisible, suffocating thing off of me and struggled for the light switch again. I managed to turn the lights on again and repeated my inspection of my entire room and environment again. Nothing. And there were no signs that anybody nor anything else had been in the room with me.

I began to turn off the lights again, but left the bathroom lights on and the door open as a sort of a full-room nightlight. I managed to get back to sleep that night (I can't remember why I managed to continue to return to my sleep) and was not awoken again until it was time. My invisible visitor had failed to return, it seemed.

So what was it? Was it the legendary, mythical Incubus of the old tales? Or was it something else? Or was it purely my imagination? And, why did it happen to me twice in one night?

2006-07-10T11:25:00.000-07:00

The "Dancing" Candle and the "Garland"

I suppose that nothing could inspire visions more than the death of a loved one.

My mother Barbara recently passed away (March 28, 2006 - the day after her seventieth birthday). I kept her memorial cards (from her funeral) near the head of my bed on my night-table with a "Safe-T" candle lit 24 hours a day as a devotion to her memory. I have since turned off the "Safe-T" candle (it is a battery-powered light shaped like a small candle).

The first or second night of her death, I awoke in the middle of the night and looked for her devotional candle light. It was not where I had placed it. I looked down at the opposite end of my night table and saw the light of the candle down there. I looked back at the head end of my night table and then the candle appeared to have moved back up there. I went back to a fitful, disturbed sleep and awoke again. I looked for the devotional candle a second time - and it had appeared to move again to the opposite end of my night-table (!). I looked back at the head end of my table and there was the candle again. I do not know nor recall how many times this happened that night. I am sure no one was in my room other than myself - how else could the candle move back to its original position while I was awake and watching for it? Since that the night the candle (lit or unlit) does not appear to have moved at all.

The night of the "dancing" candle episode, I had occasion to get up and use the bathroom. As I passed my late mother's living room, I looked at the couch she had been using previous to her death. She occupied that couch almost 24 hours a day for several months just prior to her death. At the opposite end of the couch which she occupied, I noticed something that looked like a pale ribbonous (sic?) garland hanging over it. As quickly I had spotted this vision, it had disappeared and has not returned. I checked my eyes in the bathroom mirror to be sure that I nothing in them to interrupt nor disrupt my vision in the dark or the light.

Were these true and profound supernatural occurences? Did my late mother have anything to do with these visions? Or were the visions hallucinations - simple hallucinations or the result of my grief and disturbance over the recent death of my mother? Will I ever know in this life? Will I know in the next life (assuming, I, we all have one of course)?

2006-07-06T10:44:00.000-07:00

Was it a Demon or Alien or Both?

One very disturbing day led into one very disturbing night. Was my upset so powerful that it created some dimensional doorway to my bedroom or "invite" some paranormal visitor from the beyond? Was it an alien? Was it a demon? Are they one in the same?

After some very disturbing phone calls and conversations one day years ago, I was laying in my bed at night with absolutely nothing to do. I just lay there in a fit of uncontrollable passion. As I lay there, I saw something whipping at the outside of my bedroom window. There is (was) a tree directly outside the window, but the whipping (or lashing) was not caused by any branches from this tree nor any other tree. I saw this through the closed "see-through" sheer drapes hanging on my window at that time.

The whipping or lashing stopped. And I froze in sheer amazement as I saw a short, brutish reptilian figure walk through my bedroom wall from the outside. This thing could not have come through the single bedroom window as the screen, glass and sheer drapes were all closed. The thing - as I saw it - passed through the wall and materialized in my bedroom before me.

He/she/it was about four (4) feet tall and had four limbs - two "legs" and two "arms". The thing had a small, grotesque, lizard-like head with large jet-black eyes. It had an ugly, ferocious demeanor about it. It seemed to be in a very bad or unpleasant mood. Its entire body (it was naked, except for what appeared to be a black leather harness about its body) was covered in medium gray colored scales or scutes. It had a very tough, swarthy appearance about it - as it had just gotten off some long journey from some otherworldly sailing ship. There, in one of its "paws" was what appeared to leathery, whiplike object. I guessed that it was the same thing I saw lashing on the outside of my bedroom window.

I just lay there in total silence, staring this thing down and it stared right back at me with those deep jet black eyes. I wondered if I had lost my sanity, if this was some hallucination or was this thing really there? After a very short time, it appeared to have been "stared down" and turned to its left and walked into my bedroom closet and disappeared. It appeared to have dematerialized or gone back to wherever it came from.

What was it? I have had other visions of paranormal and unnatural things, but nothing quite like this before nor since.

2006-06-29T13:40:00.000-07:00

So, my question to you is, when you are NOT sleeping - do you see visions that are not of this world? Do you see visions from the BEYOND?

I think, maybe, that I have.

THE ANGEL OF DEATH

Recently (this March, year 2006) I did have a terrifying nightmare that reminded me of a vision that I had when I was only a child.

This vision that I had had was of the Grim Reaper - The Angel of Death. I was in my parent's house, taking a daytime nap, and woke up.

When I awoke I was laying directly across from a large viewing mirror on my dresser (chest of drawers).

Laying immediately behind me, reflected in the mirror, was the Angel of Death. He (She?) appeared to be perfectly parallel to me and was longer (taller) than myself. He/she was completely immobile, inert, unmoving, but very visible. He/she appeared to be made of something like petrified wood.

I got up from the bed silently. I turned to look around to see this being - and it was gone. I turned and looked in the reflecting mirror - and saw only myself, the bed, and the bedroom.

The Angel had gone. If, it was ever there...

This March, one evening, I awoke from a terrifying nightmare. In the nightmare, I was standing next to some sort of concrete abutment, as at a bridge, etc.. Arising from the abutment was some gargantuan, blue-black, wrought iron, crooked skeletal hand. Alarmed, I backed away from the abutment.

Moving away, I could see a river next to the abutment. In the middle of this river was an islet, or a shoal... Stretched out on this islet/shoal, laying in repose, was a gargantuan, blue-black, wrought iron, skeletal form of the Grim Reaper - or the Angel of Death - with its gargantuan blue-black, wrought iron, crooked hand, extended above.

I remember trying to move away from this ghastly figure of death, and then I woke up.

The next day, after her seventieth birthday, my mother passed away.

As of yesterday, her hometown, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, was flooded by the Susquehanna river and 200,000 people had to be evacuated. The day she was born, the Susquehanna river crested over and flooded out the entire town of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. (Note: At my mother's funeral, her sister - my aunt and godmother - explained that the reason that they made it through that 1936 flood, was that they were living in a house on one of the highest hills in the town).

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THE DECAPITATED GHOST

Several years ago, in the early 1990's, I was still residing with my mother and father.

I was returning from a business trip with a salesperson for a major company that we working for at that time. I don't think I will advertise their name here at this time.

So, as it was a legitimate business trip - straight from the office to the customer and back - their was drinking, etc..

When I made it home, I greeted my mother and my (only) sister her were there at the time.

Having some dirty laundry in my suitcase, I took it downstairs to the laundry room in the basement.

Now, the laundry room was (and still is) set off from the rest of the basement by the stairway and a couple of concrete walls. I headed around the corner to the right of the stairway.

I began to empty my suitcase, and had that feeling you get when are not alone in the same room. The feeling that you get that someone else is there with you...

I had not heard my mother, my sister, nor anyone else come down the stairwell, which I would have expected if someone else decided to join me in that basement at the time. I had (and still have) extraordinarily good hearing, and should have heard anyone clambering down those stairs...

I dropped my laundry and went to investigate the rest of the basement. I went this time to the left of the stairwell. There, in the middle of the day, in the dimly lit northwest area of the basement floated a decapitated, disembodied spectral head in the air. This spectral head was clearly looking through and searching for something in the handmade architectural-framed shelves that my father (not deceased) had erected on that wall.

The head must have sensed that I was to its left and it slowly turned around in midair to face me.

I stood there completely motionless and silent (it took all of my courage and my strength to do so) and looked directly at the head where its eyes should have been.

With the small hairs standing on the back of my neck, I examined (I am, by profession, a scientist) floating head while it examined me.

I could see that the head was quite grisly and it appeared to be in a severe state of decay and decomposition. What should have been (?) eyes, appeared to be round, whitish, amorphous white globes. The head was covered with what appeared to be whitish, decayed, decomposed flesh. It also appeared to have long white hair. It appeared to be quite ancient, and appeared to have no color at all. Its color was the same as the misty white mass (ectoplasm?) that it was made of.

It made some sort of expression when it saw that I was not leaving and was determined to examine it. Slowly, the floating spectral head turned around 180 degrees from me and floated away and dematerialized (?) or disappeared through the east wall of the basement.

With the spirit head now gone, I struggled to pull myself together. Stunned into silence by this, I slowly moved up the stairwell into the main body of the house and found my mother and my sister blissfully unaware of what had just happened. I asked them - just as a precaution, in case I was hallucinating, or something - if either of them had just been in the basement at the same time I was. They both just shook their heads no. I think they were silent at this point because there was probably something noticeably - perhaps profoundly - disturbed about my appearance.

I informed that I had just seen a ghost in the basement. Both of them just looked at me without question. I moved off and continued with my business for that day.

Neither of them ever mentioned this to myself - or, I suspect, to anyone.

To this day, I have never seen this ghost again. Although, I did have a nightmare about this later. In this nightmare, the ghost appeared to me as a full-bodied specter and revealed that her name was Wieso Langso. I have no idea what or who this name means or might be. I do know that we have lived in the house ever since it was brand new and that their had been no deaths in it up until this year.

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WAS IT A VISION OF CHRIST?

This is my next vision. To be continued later?

- G.K. 6/29/06

WAS IT A VISION OF CHRIST?

Some years ago - after much revelry and debauchery - I awoke in my bed with head at the foot of the bed and my feet at the opposite end.

There before me, surrounded by a "diffuse" white light was the figure of Jesus Christ. He was sitting on a rock pile and was clothed in what appeared to be a seamless robe of neutral color. The robe covered him from his shoulders to his ankles - or more - as I do not recall seeing his feet.

I did however see his face and it appeared to be a Caucasian face and had virtually no expression. He was just, merely looking down on me. His hair was long and brown and he had the traditional brown mustache and beard. His face appeared to be unmarked and wore nothing on his head. I do not recall seeing his hands. His robe was plain, neutral or white in color, and aside from being seamless, was unremarkable.

I reached out to touch this vision of Himself and upon "touching" this vision, He vanished from my sight. And I was left laying on my bed looking about my room for Him.

Some years later, when I had moved to a small town in Georgia. I recalled having one of those sagrado ("sacred") candles with the paper lamination of picture of Christ and His Sacred Heart on the glass of the candle. I usually kept this candle on a shelf type window just over my kitchen sink.

One Saturday night I was home in my kitchen looking at this candle when I realized that there were beads of moisture collecting around the face of His image on the candle. For a moment, thinking that I might have accidentally splashed sink water or tap water on this candle, I picked it up and started to wipe away the moisture saying "Forgive me Lord...". Then I stopped dead in my tracks, realizing that I had not been using the sink for water. The sink and the area around it were dry. Was the image of Himself on the sagrado candle crying? I could not tell.

It is interesting to note, that that same Saturday night, I had just happened to win several hundred dollars on the weekly Saturday night Georgia lottery drawing. Was it luck? Coincidence? Or a miracle? Heaven knows...

To be continued? 7/3/2006