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Tickets, Please

 

Where to start... My wife and I bought an early 1800's farmhouse for the purpose of starting our business. After selling our business plan to a lender, purchasing the property, and several months of renovations, we were finally ready to open our doors for business. It was not long after this that we began to realize the building did not belong to just us.

At first, the encounters were just mine. Having experienced paranormal behavior in the past, I assumed that my experiences would remain just that. The property had been many things in its lifetime, from a family farm to various businesses... All of which had been unsuccessful. We did not know it at the time, but our plans to open the property to the public, was just the energy needed to turn a quiet country property into a stopping place for wayward, curious, and sometimes malevolent spirits.

In my past experiences, I have seen shadow people, transparent figures, orbs, and experienced poltergeist activity; but for the most part, I see people. They look like you. They look like me. They look just like they did when they were alive... But they are not. I have little to no ability to predict what I experience, and I have virtually no communication skills with spirits beyond those of the average person. Sometimes there will be months between experiences, and sometimes they happen in bunches... But when they occur, they appear as solid-mass, full bodied apparitions.

My first encounter on this property occurred when I was entering what was the old kitchen of the original farmhouse. I simply walked into the kitchen and saw a small boy of about three or four, exit through a doorway around a corner into the next room of the house. Fearing a customer had lost track of their child, I pursued the boy who had only been about ten feet ahead of me, but he was gone. He could have only entered two rooms, and upon searching I realized he was in neither. An employee of ours also saw and sensed a woman that I had encountered in the old kitchen area as well. She said she saw her sitting in a chair we had in the room, and simply vanished when she turned to speak to her. I would feel the woman's presence when I was working in the room. I could see a figure out of the corner of my eye, and see what appeared to be the material of a long skirt or dress moving behind me. Whenever I would turn to face her she would be gone.

Over the course of the next several months, multiple employees reported hearing noises, being touched, poltergeist activity, and hearing their names being called. We also had a few customers mention that they felt uneasy in the building. One employee, who was working in the kitchen, was sweeping up one day. She bent over and swept some dirt into a dust pan, stood up and turned to cross the room to the waste basket, when she saw a man in a modern military uniform in the next room, walking with his head down, approaching the door to the kitchen. She crossed the room, deposited the contents of the dustpan into the trash and turned to greet the man. She waited several seconds, and no one entered the kitchen. She peeked around the corner and the man was gone. She walked her way through the entire building, encountering co-workers as she went, but no one had seen a man in a uniform.

One night, I was working late, installing vinyl flooring in a section of the building that we were hoping to expand into. An employee and her boyfriend showed up to help with some other work we were trying to get done in another section of the building. I was kneeling down working on the floor and out of the corner of my eye, saw someone wearing an orange shirt or coat, walk past an open doorway of another unfinished room where we kept supplies. I continued working, expecting the employee or her boyfriend to walk back past the doorway as they exited the room because there is no other way out. After about ten minutes, I stood up and walked to the doorway, there was no one in the room. I went immediately to the area where our employee was supposed to be working and she and her boyfriend were there. When I asked if they had been in my part of the building, they said they had not; and neither of them was wearing orange.

A couple days later, a customer who frequented our business showed up accompanied by his three-year old son. He and his son were standing in a section of our L-shaped building talking to my wife, when his son looked out the window toward the other section of our building and asked, "What is he doing in there?" When my wife asked him what he was talking about, he pointed out the window to a window on the other section of the building where I had been doing the flooring two nights before and said, "The man in the orange shirt. What is he doing in there?" My wife and the boy's father saw no one and when they went to that section of the building to investigate, found no one... With or without an orange shirt.

Fearing that word would get around that our business was haunted, we began looking into having someone investigate our property. We enlisted a paranormal investigative group, who provided us with a factual history of the property... Some of which was extremely dark. The leader of the group was clairvoyant and clairaudient. She provided us with a lot of insight and stories of who had lived and died there, and was haunting our property. I truly feel the woman is talented and gifted; but for reasons unknown to me, she also provided fraudulent evidence after the investigation; which destroyed the credibility of the group.

So now, we are left to our own devices. Our building is like a spiritual train station... Spirits come, hang out for a while, and then move on. Some stay for extended periods, some are only encountered once. Some are mischievous, and some are downright nasty. Some keep their distance, and some follow us home. We have welcomed some, asked some to leave, and in one case; forcibly removed one. Our home sits on what was once part of the farm the business is located on. Even though the properties are nearly two miles apart, they both are busy... With the business seemingly the hub of the wheel. I see visitors in the building and outside. Although we have a few instances of residual occurrences, like the man in heavy boots that still runs down the stairway in the back of the old barn... A stairway which was removed three years ago; most are intelligent. Some seemed lost, some seem bound, but most just appear to be curious. Curious and drawn to the increased energy brought on by the renovations and the increase in human habitation of a once quiet and lonely property.

So, I guess we will just continue to coexist... It is hard to object when they know where you live...literally.

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Comments about this paranormal experience

The following comments are submitted by users of this site and are not official positions by yourghoststories.com. Please read our guidelines and the previous posts before posting. The author, LouSlips, has the following expectation about your feedback: I will read the comments and participate in the discussion.

anneke8 (10 stories) (274 posts)
+1
13 years ago (2012-01-31)
I read about pubs and places that attracts clients just because it is haunted.
Wow, you never have a dull moment, do you
😊 I would love to know the (true) history of this place!
Javelina (4 stories) (3749 posts)
+1
13 years ago (2011-07-16)
Lou,
It's funny, when I go back to re-read some of these older submissions, how things start to fall in place and make more sense. I remember reading this story when you first submitted it. I liked it then, but it takes on a whole new meaning now that I know more about the things you have experienced both at the business and your home.
This story is basically a teaser to what occurred in the rest of your stories to date. It was fun coming back to it. Can't wait for the next leg of this journey to be told.
Thanks for sharing Lou.

Your friend,
Jav
LouSlips (10 stories) (979 posts)
+1
14 years ago (2011-04-25)
Thanks, Otteer.

I have a story submitted that recounts the first investigation at the property. It is a little different though... With any luck, it will be well received.

Lou
otteer (8 stories) (398 posts)
 
14 years ago (2011-04-22)
Great story, glad the business is doing well. I'm a sucker for TV Ghost investigations (even if they are staged lol) but I can see how a televised one may bring unwanted attention to your business. I would love to see it though!
Thanks for sharing
LouSlips (10 stories) (979 posts)
+1
14 years ago (2011-01-31)
Tenebrific, indeed. But as long as our business remains veracious, we will endure.

;) Thanks for the Pixie-dust.

Lou
PestilentPixie (4 stories) (52 posts)
 
14 years ago (2011-01-27)
Lou, thank you for sharing your beautiful talent for writing as well as your experience and the experiences of others. I agree with your humor and I believe that you have an amazing attitude and perspective. I can only imagine how wonderful it was to find out the history of the property even if some was a bit tenebrific, however the disappointment of the validity of the woman you chose is regretable. A great story and thanks again for sharing.
LouSlips (10 stories) (979 posts)
+4
14 years ago (2010-11-01)
Hi, All.
I understand the interest and marketability of the property from a paranormal perspective... But when the tours are over and the crowds go away, I've still got a mortgage to pay. The spirit activity in our building is tolerable and we have been able manage the rumor mill for the most part. Our employees tend to stir things up a bit when a new employee comes on, but that dies down too if the employee does not have an experience of their own.
With regards to the paranormal group, the woman in charge truly is gifted... But I think because she cannot convey what she can feel so that others can grasp what is going on around them; she tried to enhance the experience by trying to provide them with something they could look at or listen to themselves... Her actions were truly a disappointment.
Miracles: His name is Edwin, he was a hired hand on the farm.
Amberspirit: Unlike the past businesses on the property, we are thriving and have been forced to turn people away because we are so busy.
Pjod: The psychic was not into publicizing her clients' information, but there were other issues. She seemed to have a desire to become more important in people's lives than she really needed to be. Unfortunately, we did not learn of her deception for quite a while and were believers of things she provided that were not authentic evidence until I finally figured it out.
Applerose: Many stories and many experiences. Unfortunately, the truth has been clouded by the leader of the paranormal group, but I am going to write from my perspective of what I experienced through it all.
Thank you all for the compliments on the story... It is what it is.

Lou
roseinbloom (4 stories) (117 posts)
+1
14 years ago (2010-10-31)
Dear Lou, great story. Your writing skills are very good, and wondered, if you've ever considered writing a book about your paranormal experiences? I know many would enjoy your matter of fact style.
As for the story, very interesting and leaves you wanting more.
I somewhat agree with, amberspirit, and think you should utilize the fact that your property seems to be a portal to the spirit world. Maybe sort of, a university to study and understand the other side, for all those who are interested in the subject.
Just, food for thought. 😊 ❤
applerose (13 stories) (139 posts)
+1
14 years ago (2010-10-31)
What a great story. I just hope your "visitors" do not ruin your business. I kind of agree with Amberspirit - it could make your business boom - with all the curious people out there. You said some of the spirits get a little out of hand. I would love to hear more about these experiences - would you mind sharing?
Pjod (3 stories) (978 posts)
+3
14 years ago (2010-10-31)
hey Lou, great story to be able to read on Halloween... I enjoyed it. What makes it so enjoyable? For me, it has the ring of truth to it all. No dramatic sensational, climatic doin's...and the psychic that came out, shame she just couldn't stay true... Why she needed to go about the phoney baloney. A need to sensationalize? I hope you called her out on it... So she'll learn to just stay true, in the future. Anyway, nice story.
amberspirit (4 posts)
+2
14 years ago (2010-10-29)
I am sorry you are not happy with your situation. This is going to sound callous but is there a way you could capitalize on your visitors? You definitely do NOT want another business to fail on the property. Like maybe inviting a ghost hunting team to investigate and publicize their findings... Such as Ghosthunters? Then you can provide tours in the evening for the curious... Ask the spirits to leave you in peace during the day for your daily business and then tell them to visit at night when they can communicate with others.

Your story is fascinating to say the least. And your writing skills truly made it a pleasure to read.
Miracles51031 (39 stories) (5000 posts) mod
+2
14 years ago (2010-10-29)
Lou - another great story. It does appear as if you have some ghosts that are "home" and then others that are just passing through. It would be interesting to find out who the man in orange is, though, since the little boy also saw him.

It's a shame you had a bad experience with the leader of the paranormal group. Have you tried another group?
biblefreeme (2 stories) (137 posts)
 
14 years ago (2010-10-29)
maybe you should try another medium one with a better reputation or maybe you could diversify your buisness and hold paranormal events seems like there is enough activity and if you can't stop it you could make the best out of a bad situation

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