Like most people, we went to a family gathering over the holiday weekend. Ours was at a home that Rob's (my husband) Aunt owns, that is a restored historical home that was part of the underground railroad. Now I don't know how she would feel about me outing her home, so I'm not going to say exactly where it was, just that it was in upstate Indiana. However, if you google it you WILL find it.:)
This house has ALWAYS been a favorite of mine, not just for what it meant to SO MANY peoples' freedom, but also because it's really a beautiful house. I always have Rob pull up slowly so I can take it all in. One of my other favorite things is, there is a ballroom upstairs, and it's always a very hot area of activity. As we pull up, I see his Aunt, his cousin Jada and her husband JT, and I tell Rob to just pull behind them. We get out and exchange pleasantries and start unloading the car.
I asked his Aunt who else was here to help, and she said no one, just those I named above. I said "hmm, ok then", and when she asked why, I told her that I noticed that the curtain was pulled back and someone appeared to be looking out from the window in the ballroom. She said that no one else should have been here, and asked me to get Rob and JT to go look. *As a side note, this isn't a house that she lives in. She let's teachers bring students on tours to learn about the underground railroad, and it's sometimes used as event space, so no one should have been inside.*
Jada and I decided to go up there to, just so we could see the ballroom. JT was first, followed by Rob, then me and finally Jada brought up the rear. As JT cleared the top of the stairs, we hear him say something to Rob, then Rob tells us to hold tight on the stairs as they just heard someone say "please, no", and a shadow run into the master bedroom. We are 4 stairs from the top and can just see them walking around, going in and out of the bedrooms and the bathroom. We were frozen on the stairs waiting for them to tell us anything at all, when they came out of the bathroom and said it was all clear. We really got mad and thought they were messing with us at this point, and told them so. They both INSISTED that they saw/heard someone, but couldn't describe any features.
They told us to come on up while they walked around a bit more just to make sure no one was up there, while Jada and I decided to go into the ballroom to look at the amazing moulding and paintings. As we walked down the hallway, we could hear what sounded like a string instrument like a violin, cello etc coming from the direction of the ballroom. Upon entering it stopped, but we did briefly see 2 shadows that appeared to be dancing, before they faded away. We could only assume at the time, that they must have been what the guys saw. I wasn't scared, but felt an instant feeling of love and devotion. And Jada was in utter shock, and just wanted to get out of there. If you read any of my other stories, it appears as though I may be an empath, which would account for why I reacted the way I did.
We walked out of the ballroom and met the guys at the end of the hallway. There is a small door at that end, and Jada said it was a passage way that led from the basement up to the cupola that they used for an attic. They said they saw "it" go in there, but it was locked and they couldn't get inside. Jada stated that there was no way anyone went in there, because the narrow stairway inside had decayed and that's why it was locked. (this presumably was the stairway that allowed those looking for freedom, to avoid capture until they could move under the cover of night) At that moment, we heard what could only be described as very quiet weeping from the other side of the wall, followed by fast and heavy footsteps up the wall and out of earshot. We all stood there looking at each other, but no one said anything until we heard the footsteps cross overhead and what seemed like back down the other side of the wall. I got an instant feeling of fear and sorrow, and even broke out in tears. Whatever it was, was very frightened and just wanted to stay hidden. Rob knows, but how do I explain to the others what was happening? I told them that I thought I heard his Aunt calling us, and Jada and JT headed down first.
When we reached the stairway, Rob asked me if I was ok, and I said I was. I just felt some sense of responsibility for what was left behind. I turned around and said, "You are all free now, there is no reason for you to be afraid, and you don't have to stay here anymore. Look for a bright light or someone you know, and they will take you home." When I turned my back to go down, I swear I heard a faint voice say "thank you kindly miss." It was so quick, and very well could have been my imagination, but I would like to think that they appreciated my kind gesture.