The Group’s Early Beginnings

William takes a moment before beginning.

“Well, okay. My first real experience was strange and spooky. My second experience was more spiritual than scary, but it’s the one that really made me want to know more about ghosts and the paranormal.”

Brenda nods. “Why don’t you tell me about both experiences?”

William settles back and begins.

“The first one happened when I was about ten years old. We had a bunch of people at our house celebrating my dad’s birthday. As the party picked up, I decided to go to my room. I was the only kid there, and I was getting a little bored after helping my mother serve snacks to the guests.

“I had a dartboard on one side of my bedroom. I always tried to get a bull’s-eye before going to sleep. I walked into my room, pulled the darts out of the board and went to the other side of my bed, about eight feet away. I was just about to turn towards the dartboard when, all of a sudden, what looked like ashes and sparks appeared all around me.

“They were flying around my body in a spiral. I almost fainted from fear. I ran out of my room and said a prayer in the hallway before turning around and going back inside. My heart was still beating hard.

“I picked up my phone and called my brother, who was living with his girlfriend. I’ve always been able to talk to him about anything and everything. It was 6:22 p.m. when this happened. I wasn’t asleep, so it couldn’t have been a dream or a nightmare.

“While I was talking to my brother, who laughed at first when I told him why I was calling, the ashes and sparks appeared again. This time there were only a few of them. I said another prayer silently, and after a few moments they disappeared.

“From then on, I called them spirit lights. My brother thought I must have been hallucinating. I didn’t have another explanation, so I assumed he was probably right.

“To understand what I saw, imagine sitting around a bonfire when someone throws another log onto it. The sparks rising from the fire looked exactly like the ashes and sparks I saw in my room. I saw them a few more times after that—once a few months later and twice about a year later.”

Brenda listens carefully.

“I wouldn’t automatically say it was a hallucination,” she says. “You experienced it twice within a few minutes and then again much later. And six years later, your description is still very vivid. Whatever caused it, you clearly believe you saw something that night. What was the second experience—the one that made you want to become a ghost hunter?”

William’s expression changes.

“That one is a little hard to talk about.”

His eyes begin to fill with tears as he gathers himself.

“You see, it was four weeks before my mother passed away. I was walking towards my bedroom, and my mother was lying in her bed because she wasn’t feeling well. When she saw me walk past, she called me into her room.

“I went in to see what she wanted. She started talking about a beautiful picture on her wall. She pointed towards it, and I followed her hand to a blank spot on the wall above her dresser mirror.

“I was puzzled. I walked up to the wall, pointed to where I thought she meant and asked if that was where the picture was. She smiled and told me no, that it was farther over.

“I moved my hand a few inches in the direction she was pointing, and instantly I felt a chill in my arm.

“I asked her to describe the picture. She told me there was a clear blue sky and a beautiful, large white marble staircase. Lilac-coloured flowers went up both sides. At the top was a bright white cross with a bright beautiful light shining from behind it.”

William pauses and clears his throat.

“I told her it sounded beautiful and that she should try to get some rest. Then I went to my room and tried to understand what it meant. Why was she seeing this image?”

Most of the group has never heard the story in this much detail. Jessica sees how upset William is and puts an arm around him.

“Are you okay?”

William nods.

Brenda gently asks whether he wants to stop for a minute, but he tells her he’ll be fine.

“A week later, the exact same thing happened again,” William continues. “I asked her to describe the picture again, and she described the exact same image.

“This time, when I left the room, all I could think was that it must be a stairway to heaven. I prayed it was only a coincidence and not a sign that she was going there. She was too young to die.

“I told my father and brother what had happened. They both thought I was making more out of it than there was. She was basically healthy, so how could she die?

“One week later, the exact same thing happened for the third time. By then, I was sure I was going to lose my mother. When I went back to my room, I started to cry. I prayed that I was wrong and that everything would be fine.

“A week later, my mom died in her sleep.”

William stops again.

“After the initial shock of losing her, I realized I’d been given an opportunity that most people don’t get. I didn’t want to take the chance that what she was seeing was more than a coincidence, so during that last month I became closer to my mother than ever.

“The last thing I said to her was, ‘I love you. I’ll see you tomorrow,’ as I was heading out with my friends.

“My mother’s last words to me were, ‘Love you too, see you later.’

“Later that night, she died in her sleep.”

William wipes the tears from his eyes. When he looks around, he notices the girls and Jacob wiping their eyes as well. Even Brenda brushes away a tear.

Matthew looks at his friend, all traces of his usual joking gone.

“That must be really hard to talk about. I couldn’t imagine losing my mother or my father.”

William clears his throat before continuing.

“So anyway, after that, I figured that if there really was a heaven like the one my mom seemed to see, maybe other things we can’t prove could be real too.

“On the days when I missed her the most, I tried to contact her. I tried everything I could think of, but nothing worked. I started reading everything I could find about ghosts and the supernatural. The more I read, the more interested I became in the whole paranormal field.

“Today, I figure the reason I haven’t seen her is because she’s already in heaven.”

The room falls completely silent.

For a couple of minutes, nobody knows what to say. William finally breaks the silence.

“So that’s how I got into ghost hunting. Who’s next?”

The tension in the room eases slightly.

Brenda takes William aside for a moment to make sure he feels able to continue. She tells him that his story is one of the most beautiful and saddest stories she has ever heard. Then she leads him to her shelves of paranormal books and tells him he is welcome to borrow any of them whenever he wishes.

William smiles and thanks her.

Brenda puts an arm around him, and they return to the others, who have been quietly discussing his story.

Jessica looks at William with concern. “Are you sure you’re all right to go on?”

“The reason most of you haven’t heard that story—or at least not in that much detail—is because I don’t want sympathy from people,” William explains. “Yes, I lived through something that was both sad and wonderful at the same time, but life has to go on.”

His voice takes on the same authority the others have heard many times before, a tone that reminds them of the way William’s father speaks when he expects something to be done.

The group understands. It happened. It is part of him. But he wants to move forward.

William looks around again. “So, who’s next?”

Matthew shrugs. “Well, I’ve got nothing to say. You all know I don’t believe this stuff because I haven’t seen any proof yet.”

Brenda looks towards him. “Perhaps you have seen proof but simply haven’t accepted it. Like I said earlier, you need to keep an open mind.”

Jessica takes a breath. “I guess I’ll go next.

“My first experience happened when I was ten. I was sound asleep when I suddenly woke up at 1:32 in the morning and saw what looked like flashes of fog flying around my room.

“I was startled and scared. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. I closed my eyes and told myself it was only a dream, but when I opened them again, the flashes of fog were still there.

“I told them to get out of my room, but they stayed—and then they started laughing. The laughter echoed throughout the room, and I froze with fear.

“I closed my eyes again and called on the cosmic forces I’d read about in a book. I asked them to protect me. When I opened my eyes, the patches of fog were gone.

“It was the most terrifying eleven minutes of my life.”

Brenda has been listening intently.

“Did they ever return? Did you ever experience the fog patches again?”

Jessica thinks for a moment. “Yes, actually. They came back one week later. But how did you know that?”

Brenda hesitates.

“Because the exact same thing happened to me when I was younger. And when my fog patches appeared the second time, they made no sound.”

Jessica’s eyes widen. “Mine didn’t either. Is that the weirdest coincidence or what?”

Matthew sits forward. “Wait a minute. Both of you had the same thing happen? What are you, related or something? That’s way too weird.”

William responds calmly. “What’s so strange about two strangers having the same experience? There are billions of people on the planet. I’d bet a lot of people have experienced the same kinds of things.”

Jessica thinks about that for a moment before continuing.

“I forgot to mention that I’ve also had a lot of psychic experiences. I’ve had visions of things that happened shortly afterwards. There have even been times when I changed what I did in the vision so an accident or something unpleasant wouldn’t happen to me or somebody else.

“One time I was walking home from school and saw myself crossing the street with some other kids. In the vision, a car turned a corner that was blocked from view by a tree and hit a couple of the kids.

“When we reached that same corner, I put my arms out to stop everyone from crossing. They were about to duck under my arms when a car came around the corner from behind the tree.

“I’ve also answered people before they actually spoke to me. And I always trust my gut.”

Sarah stops talking quietly with Alexis and turns towards the group.

“Alexis and I were there that day. We can definitely vouch for what Jessica is saying about the car. None of us saw it before she stopped us from crossing.”

Brenda looks impressed. “That’s remarkable. Sometime we should talk about some of your other psychic impressions. If you’d like, perhaps we could work on strengthening some of those abilities. And you’ll have to explain more about these ‘cosmic forces.’ I remember reading something about them a long time ago, but I can’t remember where.”

Jessica is pleased by Brenda’s interest. “That would be great.”

Sarah speaks next.

“Since we were just talking about fog, I might as well go.

“One summer a couple of years ago, my family was at our cabin. I was asleep when the sound of footsteps woke me. I rolled over and looked towards the centre where the rooms meet, below the ladder to the attic.

“There was a green fog floating in the same area where I’d heard the footsteps.

“What made it really strange was that I wasn’t afraid of it. It was luminous green, sort of like glow-in-the-dark paint or a toy. It moved slowly and never felt threatening. It actually felt peaceful, almost as if it were checking to make sure everything was all right.

“Is that strange or what?”

“Who originally owned the cabin?” Brenda asks.

“My grandparents,” Sarah replies. “My grandfather built it with his own two hands when he was in his twenties. He bought the land cheap, cleared the trees and built the cabin before other people started building in the area. When he died, my mom and dad inherited it.”

A look of recognition crosses Brenda’s face.

“Perhaps what you saw was your grandfather’s spirit. That might explain why it felt warm and comforting. Maybe he was checking that the place he loved was still being looked after—and checking on you as well.”

Sarah smiles at the thought that her grandfather might have visited her that night.

Alexis decides to go next.

“About a year ago, I was playing in my room when I got thirsty. I decided to go to the kitchen for a glass of juice. I put my doll on the bed and turned towards the hallway.

“Just as I walked out of my room, I saw a dark shadow move from the hallway into my parents’ room. I assumed it was my mother and that I’d only caught sight of her shadow.

“I kept going towards the kitchen, but when I turned the corner, my mother was there. I couldn’t understand how she could be in two places at once.

“I asked for a glass of juice, and while she was pouring it, I asked if Dad had come home from work early.

“She said, ‘No. Why do you ask?’

“I didn’t want to worry her, so I just said, ‘No reason,’ and went back towards my room with my glass.

“I checked my parents’ room first, but nobody was there. Then I went from room to room, looking under beds and inside closets, but I couldn’t find anyone.

“At first, I thought maybe I’d seen the shadow of a cloud. Then I remembered all the curtains were drawn.

“I haven’t seen anything like it in my house since then, but I’ve always wondered what—or who—it was.”

Samantha begins almost as soon as Alexis finishes.

“I had something strange happen in our hallway too. The difference is, I didn’t actually see anything at first.

“I was goofing around in my dad’s office at the end of the hall when I heard a voice say, ‘Take a picture.’

“I looked around, but nobody was there, so I brushed it off as my imagination.

“About thirty seconds later, I heard it again: ‘Take a picture.’

“I was confused, but I wasn’t frightened. The voice was very calm and relaxed.

“I looked at my dad’s desk and saw his digital camera. I picked it up, turned towards the hallway and took a picture.

“When I checked the preview screen, it just looked like a normal picture of the hall. I put the camera back and didn’t think anything more about it.

“About a week later, my dad downloaded the pictures onto our computer. When I came across the hallway picture, I was surprised to see a light right in the middle of the hall where the stairs meet it.

“There was nothing there that could have caused a reflection. We always keep that area completely clear because the hallway is so narrow.

“I still don’t know what the light in the photograph is.”

William looks at her. “Why haven’t you told us about this picture before? We analyze photographs all the time. Email it to me and we can look at it as a group.”

“I wouldn’t mind seeing a copy either,” Brenda adds. “I have quite a collection of unusual photographs.”

Samantha feels a little foolish for not thinking of asking the group sooner.

“Sure. I’ll email it to both of you. But I’ll need your email address, Miss Waters.”

Brenda smiles. “No problem. And please, call me Brenda.”

The request still feels unnatural to the group. They have all been raised to show respect to adults, and calling a teacher by her first name seems almost disrespectful.

As everyone begins discussing the different experiences, Matthew suddenly looks towards Jacob.

“Jacob hasn’t told his story yet.”

Jacob gives him an uncomfortable look. “Thanks a lot, bud. I was kind of hoping you’d forget about me and my story.”

Brenda senses his reluctance.

“Why don’t you want to share it, Jacob? There’s nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about.”

Jacob looks down.

“It’s not that. It’s just that what I saw—and what I still see from time to time—scares the crap out of me. I try to pretend it never happened. I try not to even think about it.”

Jessica’s voice softens. “You’re among friends here. We want to help if we can. The only way we can do that is to know what’s troubling you.”

Jacob stares at his hands in his lap.

“I guess you’re right. Okay, here goes.

“I’ve been waking up in the middle of the night from a sound sleep and finding an old man standing in different parts of my room. He usually starts by the door, but he moves towards the side of my bed.

“I get a really bad feeling whenever I see him, like he wants to hurt me. He definitely isn’t sending any warm, fuzzy feelings my way. Every time I see him, my heart starts racing. It scares me half to death.

“I’m afraid that one day he might figure out a way to actually hurt me.

“The first time I saw him, he was just standing by the door.”

Jacob closes his eyes, trying to remember exactly what he sees. His body begins to tremble as the image returns to him.

“He wears a suit and an old-style hat, like people wore back in the fifties. He always looks the same. The suit is dark, and his eyes are black. I can’t really see them, but somehow I know he’s staring right at me.”

William puts a hand on Jacob’s shoulder.

“It’s all right, Jacob. We’re here. If this thing wants to get at you, it has to go through me first.”

Jacob’s trembling eases, and a faint smile crosses his face.

“The old man gives me the feeling that he wants me out of the room. He doesn’t say anything, but the thought comes into my mind that he wants me gone.

“A couple of times he started walking towards my bed. I hid my head under the covers because I was terrified of what he might do when he reached me. I stayed under there with my eyes shut until I fell asleep.

“One night, when he was walking towards the bed, I was so terrified that I literally froze. I couldn’t even move my hands to lift the blanket.

“I shut my eyes, and I could sense him standing right beside my head. I kept my eyes closed, hoping I’d fall asleep like I had on other nights, but I couldn’t.

“I don’t know how long I lay there with my eyes shut. It felt like an hour.

“Finally, I opened them to see if the old man was still there. He was gone, and suddenly I could move my hands again.

“That was one of many nights when I got up and slept on the sofa.

“Whenever he appears, there’s a sense of death in the room. It’s hard to breathe, almost as if the oxygen has been sucked out. The air feels heavy, like a fog or something.

“I haven’t seen him in a couple of days, but I figure he’s due to come back. He usually does.”

Sweat glistens on Jacob’s face by the time he finishes.

Brenda looks concerned about the fear these experiences are causing him.

“Are you religious, Jacob?”

“Yes. We’re Christians. Why?”

“I learned a long time ago that one way people try to deal with an unwanted spirit is to tell it to leave and then say a prayer,” Brenda explains. “Being Christian myself, I find the Lord’s Prayer helpful. I have friends from other religious beliefs who use prayers from their own traditions when they feel frightened or threatened by something they believe is spiritual.

“If I’m not mistaken, William said a prayer when the spirit lights frightened him.”

“That’s right,” William says. “I did. And I have to admit, it helped me almost instantly.”

Jacob looks relieved. “Then I’m definitely going to try that. What sucks is that I’ve been dealing with visits from this old man for quite a while. It would have been nice to know something like this from the start.”

Brenda looks around at the group.

“If any of you ever experience something you believe is malicious or unwanted, tell it to leave. If prayer is part of your beliefs and it helps you feel safe and grounded, use it.”

Matthew cannot resist jumping in.

“So what do you do if you don’t have a religion? What if you don’t believe in some divine power?”

Brenda looks at him calmly.

“Then you find whatever helps you feel safe and in control. The important thing is not to let fear take over.”

For once, Matthew has no immediate wisecrack.

The friends sit together in Brenda’s study, each of them thinking about the stories they have just heard. Their experiences are different, but for the first time they have laid almost all of them out in the open.

And in doing so, they begin to understand a little more clearly why the seven of them have been drawn together.