Spirit Journal

As a writer, I have many journals with ideas for stories, lists for things for school and work, and wedding planning. Perhaps my favorite of my journals is my spirit journal (yeah yeah I know it's a little cutesy but I like the bones). This is the journal that I write down every spirit encounter that I have. Lately I've been writing in it practically every other day. I'll write anything from doors opening and closing by themselves to full bodies apparitions like the one I experienced last night. As part of the Samhain's Sirens Blog Party in October I will be writing a post about these spirit encounters. Today, I want to give you all a preview.

As Fall approaches and the weather changes I've found that spirit activity tends to pick up. The past couple of days I've seen a influx of spirits around me. Last night was the icing on a cake. I encountered one of the more creepier of spirits that even gave me the chills. Yesterday was the annual Corn Roast at my Grandparent's church which is the church we're getting married in.

It's a very old church built in the mid 1800s so it has its share of ghost stories. The most popular is of a young girl who hung herself in the basement because she didn't want to be married off. I've seen her once before when I ran the haunted house at the church when I was younger - thought she was one of the kids who was going through the haunted house. Of course once I followed her to scold her not to venture into the closet in the basement hallway and she disappeared as soon as I went to touch her shoulder. Last night I believe saw her again; it left me with a chill that I still feel this morning.

The bathrooms of the church are in the basement and are kind of creepy all by themselves but last night they were even more so. I had finished using the bathroom and was washing my hands when a coldness settled around me. Usually it wouldn't be that odd for the basement to be cool but just moments before it had been humid and sticky; I almost welcomed the coldness until the next thing happened. As I leaned up from washing my hands I saw someone dart behind me but I felt no movement. The bathroom is pretty cramped so if someone was there they would've brushed against me.

This figure went into the last stall and I heard a bang as the door shut. I dried my hands off and slowly crept down to the stall looking beneath to see if there was anyone. I saw nothing so I just shrugged it off and started to leave. Then the door banged back open, hitting the old radiator, and I looked to see a dark figure standing parallel to the open door. I couldn't tell if it was a girl or a boy as the features weren't very defined and the hair was shoulder length. The figure moved forward and just stared at the wall. I stood there not moving just watching as the figure kid of teetered on the spot.

In my mind I was reminded of the scene in The Ring 2 when Samara stood by the wall scratching the paint off. This caused me to half expect the figure to turn and make some creepy face at me. She (I'm assuming it was the girl) turned around to face the wall that the radiator was at and then promptly vanished. I walked over to where she had been and peered inside the stall. There was nothing and that chill in the air was gone, replaced by the sticky air.

Sadness washed over me during the encounter and only left after I climbed the steps back up to the fellowship hall. Whoever that child was seemed in a lot of pain which is something I don't remember those years ago when I had encountered the girl in the basement hallway. This of course is one of many of my regular encounters that will only double with the approach of Samhain.