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    The Ghost Next Door: True Stories of Paranormal Encounters from Everyday People
    The Ghost Next Door: True Stories of Paranormal Encounters from Everyday People
    The Ghost Next Door: True Stories of Paranormal Encounters from Everyday People
    Ebook125 pages2 hours

    The Ghost Next Door: True Stories of Paranormal Encounters from Everyday People

    By Mark Alan Morris

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    About this ebook

    "A collection of chilling stories eerily believable and truly spooky very strongly recommended "-Midwest Book Review

    Most people think of ghosts as rare, elusive creatures that are more or less inaccessible to the average Joe. Sure, we read about them, watch TV shows about them and tell stories about them, but we'll probably never run into one-right? Don't be so sure. Even if you've never personally encountered a ghost, chances are you know someone who has.

    The Ghost Next Door takes a revealing look into the lives of average, everyday people from across the country who have had experiences in the realm of the unexplained. Whether you're a true believer in ghosts or a hard-nosed skeptic, you're sure to get a chill or two when you read about the woman who was visited by her grandfather on the night of his funeral! Or the man who was forced to move by a troublesome spirit only to find it had followed him!

    As you make your way through these and other genuinely spooky stories, you'll probably find that ghostly encounters are a lot more common than you had imagined. Could there be a "haunted house" in your town? Perhaps on your very street? Maybe even right next door?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisheriUniverse
    Release dateJan 4, 2004
    ISBN9780595750719
    The Ghost Next Door: True Stories of Paranormal Encounters from Everyday People
    Author

    Mark Alan Morris

    Mark Alan Morris has studied paranormal phenomena for a number of years, and has documented many cases of ghostly activity. Mr. Morris works as a writing consultant for a major airline. He currently resides in Dallas, Texas.

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      Book preview

      The Ghost Next Door - Mark Alan Morris

      All Rights Reserved © 2004 by Mark Alan Morris

      No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher.

      iUniverse Star

      an iUniverse, Inc. imprint

      For information address:

      iUniverse, Inc.

      2021 Pine Lake Road, Suite 100

      Lincoln, NE 68512

      www.iuniverse.com

      ISBN: 0-595-29786-2

      ISBN: 978-0-5952-9786-3 (Softcover)

      ISBN: 978-0-5957-5071-9 (E-Book)

      For Ann, with whom I read my first ghost stories

      Contents

      Introduction

      The Haunted Hotel

      Strange Doings at the Parker House

      The Ghostly Bride

      La Muerte

      Phantom Photographs

      The Discontented Ghost

      The Butterfly

      A Host of Ghosts

      Home is Where the Haunt is

      Cemetery Visitor

      In the Wee, Small Hours

      The Waving Woman

      The Thing in the Cabin

      In the Back Bedroom

      The Legend of Screaming Bridge

      The House on Windy Hill

      Carrie’s Place

      My Best Friend’s Ghost

      The Phantom of Breazeale House

      A Brand-New Haunted House

      Kindred Spirits

      A Gettysburg Ghost

      Lost and Found

      Haunted Savannah

      Acknowledgements

      I would like to extend my sincerest thanks to all who contributed their stories to this collection; it would not, of course, have been possible without them. Credit goes also to Diane Bryan, who acted as a liaison between myself and some of my sources; her persistence is much appreciated. I would like to thank my wonderful wife, who patiently tolerated the many hours I spent in our study, huddled over the computer. And lastly, I would like to express my gratitude to Mrs. Docia Schultz Williams, whose book entitled Spirits of San Antonio and South Texas placed the proverbial bug in my ear to undertake this project years before I actually started it.

      Introduction

      Like millions of other Americans, I have always been fascinated by ghosts. I can remember shuddering with anticipatory delight as a young boy at the mere mention of the word, knowing there might soon be a spooky tale unfolding for my intrigued little ears to absorb. Over the years, my interest in the subject of ghosts and the paranormal has remained constant, perhaps even growing a bit deeper as maturity allows me progressive insight into the more intellectual aspects of this phenomenon.

      I must confess that I personally have never actually seen a ghost (as far as I know), nor have I ever really had an experience of my own that could be construed as paranormal. But several of my friends—and even a few of my family members—claim that they have. My lack of personal experience with ghosts, however, does nothing to dissuade me from entertaining the thought that they may exist. I, for one, am not so arrogant as to believe there is nothing left in this world that cannot be explained or understood, even in this day and age. Our definition of the unknown is, after all, subjective; it has changed over the centuries as one mystery after another has been solved through the advent and evolution of scientific investigation.

      Obviously, the realm of the unknown has diminished considerably in the time since mankind’s humble beginnings, but it certainly hasn’t vanished altogether; we are still far from having it all figured out. We are afforded the luxury of looking back at some of the great enigmas of the past with amusement, because we now know the explanation behind them. But, conversely, imagine for a moment what would happen if someone who lived a few hundred years ago were to somehow catch a glimpse of our world—a modern-day passenger jet flying overhead, for instance. While to us an airliner is just another mode of transportation, our friend from the past would no doubt be unable to comprehend or explain it, and would therefore be resigned to dismissing it as either the product of an overactive imagination or simply a great, unsolvable mystery. I think it’s safe to assume that he would probably also be afraid of it. In short, we tend to fear the most that which we understand the least.

      Perhaps one day we will be able to fully comprehend and explain the phenomenon of ghosts, perhaps not. For now, it seems there are as many varying beliefs and theories about these spectral entities as there are witnesses to them. The most popular belief seems to be that ghosts are the disembodied spirits of the dead, still somehow bound to the realm of the living. Another explanation is that ghostly apparitions are merely past events that were somehow recorded into the environment and are replayed from time to time for whatever reason. One of the more recent theories is that ghosts are projections of our own consciousness—visible thoughts, if you will. Of course, it’s possible that there are multiple types of hauntings and therefore more than one accurate explanation, but my inclination is to side with the majority on this particular matter.

      To elaborate a bit on my own personal speculation about ghosts, it seems to me that, rather than being solely a matter of chance or coincidence, the probability of a person encountering a ghost during his or her lifetime depends largely upon that person’s sensitivity to ghosts. It’s a simple and logical answer to the common question, Why do some people see ghosts while others don’t? It seems likely to me that there would be varying degrees of sensitivity to this phenomenon just as there are to light, sound, touch, smell and taste.

      I suppose what I’m referring to here is the proverbial sixth sense—the faculty which detects otherworldly elements; a kind of revenant radar. Just as is true of the other five senses, the sixth appears to vary in strength from person to person. Judging from my own track record of zero ghostly encounters, my sixth sense seems to be decidedly underdeveloped; on the flipside, a certain friend of mine has had enough run-ins with spirits to strongly suggest that hers is considerably well-evolved. This brings up the question of whether there is any way for those of us who are paranormally challenged to develop our sixth sense; well…that will have to be another book.

      Explanations aside, there is certainly no shortage of people who share my interest in this topic and who no doubt derive a certain amount of pleasure from curling up in their favorite armchair with a volume of ghost stories, preferably on a stormy night. Having done so myself on many occasions and having also made the acquaintance of several people over the years who’ve had first-hand experiences with the supernatural, it occurred to me that putting together my own collection of ghostly tales might be both a plausible and interesting project. I was right.

      At first, I was concerned that I might have some degree of difficulty in obtaining enough material to comprise an entire book. My doubt quickly subsided, however, when I began querying friends and acquaintances on the matter and subsequently realized just how common ghostly encounters seem to be. In fact, based on my research, it appears that most people have had some kind of unexplainable experience at some point in their lives, or know someone who has. This somewhat unsettling discovery led me to realize that the spirit world may be a lot closer to home than I had imagined—hence, the title of this book.

      As I collected these stories through in-person, telephone and e-mail interviews, I became aware of certain aspects that were repeated through several of them—you’ll no doubt notice this yourself as you progress through the book. Not only do these shared characteristics serve to mutually substantiate the stories, they also seem to enhance the mystery surrounding ghosts in general. For example, many spectral visitations seem to occur around 3:00 a.m.; loud, knocking sounds are often heard; cold spots are felt in certain areas; household items inexplicably disappear, only to reappear some time later. If you’ve been privy to a fair amount of ghost stories, these things may sound familiar to you; they are common threads that run through many accounts of paranormal activity, from the most famous cases to the obscure instances revealed here for the first time.

      The following stories were recounted to me by normal, everyday people from all walks of life—family members, friends, coworkers and acquaintances—who have, at one time or another, experienced something they consider to be paranormal. I do not attempt to validate, confirm or vouch for any of the information presented here; I merely offer it for your consideration and entertainment. I will, however, state that there is no reason why any of the contributors would have given me falsified or fabricated information; they would have gained nothing from doing so. No incentives were offered or given, monetary or otherwise. In fact, a few of my sources were somewhat uneasy at first about going public with their experiences for fear that it might somehow reflect unfavorably upon them (some names have been changed by request). No, these individuals generously agreed to share their stories simply as a favor to me.

      So make sure all your doors are locked, grab a snack, settle into your favorite chair and enjoy. Oh—and if you happen to hear

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