My name is Shaun Logue and I am nineteen years old. At the time of the following event, I was eighteen. The house of the event is in West Hills, CA. The date is early 2009 at 3:00am.
I have always felt that there was more to the world than we saw. For many years, my mother's house has had spirits within it. While their activities ranged from harmless footsteps to the knocking over of a stereo system, we have come to live peacefully with whoever remains in the house.
One of my closest friends, Elijah, called me one day and told me he was interested in conducting a séance. Knowing that I've had experience with spirits, he asked me to join. I was uncertain, but ultimately, agreed. Initially, he wanted to use a board, at which point I told him I wanted nothing to do with it. I had heard too many terrible stories of the board contacting the wrong kinds of spirits, so the idea of using one myself turned me off the idea in an instant.
Thankfully, the board went missing, so we conducted a séance. None of us had conducted one before, but we were given guidelines by medium who was a family friend of Eli's. At least this way, we wouldn't do anything dangerous. Mirrors were covered, windows were opened, and candles were lit. As the only one fully comfortable with the idea, I was medium.
The circle consisted of myself, Elijah, his girlfriend Jocelyn, my step-brother Greg, and our close friend Matt. Outside of our circle, observing the events, were friends Graham and Dak. I requested that we not open the circle to anyone. I wanted at least some form of a plan for choosing our spirit. Elijah wanted to contact his grandfather. There was little effect here. Our second attempt is the focus of this little story.
For a while, Elijah had experienced paranormal events in his home, the most obvious of which being footsteps on the roof that followed his movements. It was with this description that we were able to bring the man into our circle. We asked the spirit to communicate to us with knocks on the wall, giving one knock for "yes" and two for "no." I asked if he understood the concept and if he would speak to us. One knock agreed. These knocks, to verify, were much clearer than I thought. The amount of time between the question and knock were so insignificant that it was apparent it was a direct response. Graham and Dak can attest to the fact that they also heard the knocks from outside of the circle. We next asked if he was related in any way to Elijah. Two knocks. The obvious question followed. I asked if he used to live in the house. One. Okay, we were getting somewhere. However, I began to hear something strange. I looked to Eli, who was now breathing heavily. I asked him if he was okay and he could only tell me two things- one, that the air behind him was quite cold, two, that there was a weight on his back. I asked him if he wanted to continue...
I'm sure you know his answer.
My questions now focused on the spirit's reason for being in the house. I cannot remember the exact wording of my questions, but the information I soon had told me that the spirit was male, used to live in the house, and was ill. Cause of death was clear to me now. Eli then remembered something that he had heard from his mother at some point in their time in the house. The former owner was a woman named Barbara. She lived there with her son and husband. The son, Eli remembered, was very ill with pneumonia. After his death, Barbara and her husband moved away, presumably to escape the pain.
I asked then the question that would give me the first shocking answer. In text, I imagine it comes off as just words, but being there as a first timer... It was something else.
"Do you intend on leaving?"
Knock, knock.
Oh joy. Eli began muttering "Oh God" to himself. Jocelyn, who was holding one of his hands in the circle, asked him if he was okay. He said that the cold was becoming more biting and that the weight was becoming heavier. It was then that he almost lost consciousness. Were it not for Jocelyn and Greg holding hands with him, he claims that he would have fallen backwards into a bookcase, breaking the circle. Again, I highly advised that we end the séance, but he asked me to continue and attempt to put the spirit to rest. I didn't know if I could- or if I should- but I wasn't going to end everything now.
Eli suggested that I tell the spirit about Barbara moving to Palm Springs, an attempt to get the spirit to perhaps leave. I gave it a shot. The answer I got to the following question shook me terribly. It stands now as the strongest paranormal experience I've ever felt. I asked the question that would send chills up our spines.
"Would you like to hear about your mother Barbara?"
KNOCK!
As if someone had taken their knuckles and loudly rapped them on the window. We all opened our eyes in a shock, looking to the window. No one was there... Graham and Dak, our observers, were still on the bed, looking on with wide eyes. Then I felt it... The cold- the pressure- it came to me. Jocelyn, who was seated between Eli and I, mentioned that she felt it for only a moment... The spirit had left Eli and passed by Jocelyn... To get to me. I was afraid... I was truly afraid. But still, I persisted. I told the spirit about Barbara's whereabouts. I asked if he wanted to find her.
Knock knock.
He was content. The spirit was content with merely knowing where his mother and father had gone to. We were all at this point too tired to continue and for the moment, all seemed okay with the spirit. We closed the séance and all took a deep breath, regaining our senses.
Since then, I have not conducted another séance, mostly out of fear of doing something wrong. I have not read anything professional and I find it unwise to meddle in things I do not understand. Eli attests to the fact that he still hears the footsteps, but they no longer follow him. I've pondered that detail, but it's something I choose not to look into anymore.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. Please feel free to comment. I will answer when I have the time. Also, if you have any personal advice on conducting séances, I am interested. I want to do it again, but only once I learn more.
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