Approximately a year ago, my roomates and I were sitting around the breakfast table, having our morning coffee and cigarettes, when the subject of ghosts came up, I'm not sure how or why. Each of us around the table began discussing things we have seen, felt, or heard in the house when no one else is home.
Several years ago when I first moved into this house, I would see dark shadows at the edge of my vision, but I never put any thought to them. I would hear strange noises in the night, but couldn't place the source. I just thought it was the house settling, but the house is over 100 years old.
One day in particular, I was laying on my bed watching television. I had the day off from work, but my roomates were not so lucky, so I was home alone with our dog, Charlie. I sat up for a second as my leg was falling asleep where Charlie was resting his head and at that moment, I saw someone move past my door, from right to left. I thought maybe someone had come home and I hadn't heard them so I called out names and no one answered. I got up out of bed, went out into the living room (where my door is located) and expected to find someone sitting at the computer (to the left of my door). No one was in that vicinity at all. I searched the house high and low only to find that I was still home alone with our dog, Charlie.
Sure, I guess I could have been seeing things, but it's not an isolated incident. The shadowy images appear all the time in our house and I'm not the only one to see it. Doors will close by themselves or the washing machine will start up by itself. Faucets sometimes turn on by themselves and on very rare occassions, someone will whisper our name. It has happened to both Bridget and I. Our roomates are a bit skeptical, but it's a phenomenon that piqued my interest.
So, being the vigilant little researches that we are, Bridget and I made our way to the Fitchburg Library, down on Main street. We research all owners of the house and when they past away and went to the old news articles from that date and cycled through pages of clippings on the micro-film viewer.
Back in the 50's, I believe, the owner of the house had past away and the funeral/wake was held in the first floor of our house.
Some years later, in the 70's, the new owner of the house met with an accident in the basement. Apparently, he liked to work on machinery and on one wintry day, had holed up in the basement working on some things and had kept the doors closed so as to not freeze down there. Well, with the doors closed, there was no ventilation and a spark caught, igniting fumes that had built up causing an explosion. He died a few days later in the hospital from 3rd degree burns over 90% of his body. (I will not mention names as family of the deceased are still living).
Through Directory Assistance, I found a listing for his daughter and son-in-law and I had a nice chat with the son-in-law about the going's-on in our house and he told me some things that only confirmed my suspicions. He too and his wife, also noted strange happenings in the house after the owner had died. Their only daughter had lived alone in the apartment upstairs (where we live) and told them that she was moving out because someone else was there with her and it scared her.
So as you can see, it really isn't an isolated incident. People in the household as well as people who used to live in the house have seen and heard strange things while they've lived here.
In conclusion, we've accepted the spirits as who they are and even call them by their first names: "Leroy" and "Raymond".
