Be careful what you buy at an Estate Sale!

[exhib_it_all]

Before I had the house built that I currently live in my family and I lived in a place that I honestly believe was 'haunted'. Now I'm very skeptical when it comes to ghosts and other paranormal activity, but some of the things that happened when we lived there were just very hard to explain.

There was the incident where my son's laptop slid across the room on the carpet floor (while we watched), cupboards in the kitchen opening themselves at night (all of them, as well as the stove and dishwasher), electronics turning themselves on at strange times, dishes 'committing suicide', etc. We lived there for 3 years while we had our current house built, but I'll tell you, it was quite the experience.

Then I ran across something that 'might' actually explain some of what was going on. When I moved into that place I had just moved back to Portland ahead of my wife and kids to get established. I rented a house and furnished it, started my business, etc. while my wife finished her schooling in another state. In order to furnish the place I went to estate sales and bought most of my furniture from one sale. When I was there I purchased many things that I used to furnish the new place, but one of the things I didn't buy (but did see) was this old, beat up wine box. Now it apparently has become famous:

SEE IT HERE (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3701347648#ebayphotohosting)

I still own a few pieces of furniture from that sale, but I think I'll be getting rid of them now...

Have you ever had to live in a 'haunted' house? Have you ever had any paranormal experiences?

[Gilly]

I'm a big old wimp. If something even feels remotly od, I turn tail and run. I can't walk through certain houses, avoided specific places growing up, etc.

Out behind my neighbor's house growing up, there was a small "village" (for lack of the right word) which had long ago been abandonded. Basically, it was about a mile back in the woods, and there were probably 5 or 6 buildings all rotted out, and in varying stages of falling down.

I can't recall how we found it, because we didn't know what itw as until my brother and I asked my parents. Back in the early 50's, some people had bought land together, and it eventually became sort of a hippie commune, only earlier than hippies would have been around.

Long story short, no one had lived back there in probably 30 years, possibly longer. But one small shack I went in with my brother had a bushel of rotting apples in it, apples that looked like they couldn't have been there for 30 years or more.

You know that feeling you get, where you think someone's watching you? Hairs stand up, skin prickles? Well, that happened when we were in there. The shack was tiny. You walked in one side, it was one room, wide enough for a couch on one wall, and then out the other side was another door. Basically, the room couldn't have been more than 8x8, and was likely only a storage shed.

But I felt that feeling, that prickling skin, and hair standing on end. That feeling where you don't want to turn around, you just want to run forward, as fast as you can, and not look back until you are safe at home.

In my mind, at the same time, I had this image of an old man, long gray hair, and a scraggly long gray beard, wearing an old hat.

We left soon after, and once or twice went back, with me never going near that shack.

A few months later, we were at my grandpa's house, and I was looking through some old family albums, and saw a picture of the guy I had "felt" that day, and asked about him. He had been a great uncle who had never married, and had lived back there in the 50's before he had died.

About a year after that, my neighbor had the whole thing torn down, and the trees cleared out, and he built a house for his daughter and her family back on the land.

Back then, you wouldn't have been able to pay me enough to have stepped foot in that shack again, though.

[englishrose]

Well, My goodness.... That's certainly very freaky. I am surrounded by paranormal things. My father is part of a group of Spiritually Inclined people, The head of this group is a very well known and respected Medium (though I would never mention names). I was always brought up to believe in everything. And I do, most definatley!
My house has a spirit, but he's kind and if ever I see him, it's out the corner of my eye and never for very long. Usually he is just walking through the room- funnily enough, we changed a door for a window in one room, and i saw somebody walk through the room and through the window- which of course was him!
The important thing is just never allow fear to set in, trust in yourself and your abilities. Not that anybody asked that, of course. Usually if you surround yourself with light- the colour in which you feel safest- no harm can come to you.
And that's something I find to be very helpful, not just in paranormal situations!
I like this topic, can you tell??

[Wicked Wanda]

Where I live, New Orleans, ghosts, spirits and of course, legends of Vampires are part of our everyday lives.
There are lot of people who conduct "Haunted New Orleans" tours, and they can be fun.
I have seen very odd things, but have no idea what they mean.
So I guess I don't know... yet.

WW

[exhib_it_all]

Wow, that sounds like good advice.

I never told anyone about the happenings in my old place because I was worried none of my clients would want to come over (I run my business out of my home). There were a couple times that my clients witnessed things too though. One in particular was in my house in August when the temp went from about 80 degrees (f) to cold enough to see your breath. I didn't have air conditioning at that time, and it dropped within just a few seconds. He still talks about that today as being one of the strangest things that's ever happened to him. If he had only seen some of the other things that happened there.

I don't know exactly what it was that was in my house, except that I believe it was really mad. When I saw this box on Ebay it made the hair on the back of my neck stand straight! I know it's the same box I saw because of the Hebrew writing on the back - not something you would normally see here in the States.

I'm looking forward to hearing from more Pixies members about their own experiences with this kind of thing!

[dreamgurl]

My story is from about 5 years ago, we were at the funeral home arranging for my grandmother's services, sitting in one of the rooms were my family my mother's 6 siblings and myself, when the undertaker ask us about her clothing that she would be burried in he said that we should bring her undergarments also. My aunt spoke up and said "What undergarments Mom hasn't worn a bra in years." This broke the mood for a second and we all had a good giggle, but it didn't last long because in the middle of an April day without anything else in the building on but one light fixture in the room we were in the lights went out for about two seconds and came back on. The next time the family was there for the services, a few of my aunts and myself had gone to the back room before the regular visitation had begun to get a drink, I don't remember what was said but we were laughing at something my grandmother had done in the past. The lights in the room we were in flashed on and off as they had before, no where else in the building did they flash. To this day we have a standing joke that if we start to talk about Mamaw and start laughing we're gonna get in trouble and she'll flash the lights again. It's happened several times at family gatherings and such, never in the entire house and always when a group of us are giggling about something she used to do.

I have more stories but i'll have to post them later.

[musketeer]

A few years ago I was living in a rented flat in a small village a couple of miles from where I am now. I had got in from work at about 2.30am and feeling tired I went to bed. My bed in this flat was against the wall in the bedroom and I used to lie on my side facing the wall to fall asleep. On this night I can clearly remember lying facing the wall planning out what I had to do on the following day. To be honest I don't know if I was on the point of dropping off or actually asleep, but i became aware of a dark figure running through the wall towards me. Only this figure wasn't coming through right on top of me it looked like it was coming from a distance sort of like seing soemone walk up a tunnel towards you. This figure then ran into me and I remember sitting bolt upright in bed terrified. I took me hours to calm down and actually go to sleep. The buliding the flat was in is about 150 years old and has always been said to have a presence.

I moved out of this flat soon after this

[englishrose]

Oooh.... I really love these stories!
Thank You Exhib_it_all for noticing this thing on Ebay and starting this up! LoL

I have an ifinity with animals, and am forever sensing them around- actually, does anybody else get this!?
I'm forever have (what I assume to be) dogs and cats rubbing against my legs, but never being there. I used to think it was my old dog, but i dunno.... it could be anything.
I was in bed once, alone, and woke up to find when i stretched out i could only move my leg out so far to the right, i sat up to see what was there, but all i saw was a dent in the duvet like some animal had been sitting there... weird...

[dreamgurl]

Another expirence I've had was whe i was two years old, and I clearly remember this. When my father would leave for work he would put me in bed with my mother. At this age i had a small lace pillow with a rainbow background. I remember lying in bed and my pillow falling off the edge. the door to the room was open and i could see two figures in the door way, they were a man a beard and a woman that i refer to as dressed like mary poppins. the figures were not in color but like a solid sheet of black where i could make out every detail about them. the man handed me my pillow and they walked away into the hall. Untill recently i had never told anybody till i was cleaning in the attic and found a box of old pictures, one in particular stood out to me it was of a man in a beard and old suit and a woman standing beside him, i took the picture to me dad, he said it was his father and his sister when they were teenagers, it was back in the early 1900s when it was taken. i told him about that night and what i saw he asked me about their heigth and how they looked. i told him and said they were dressed exactly like the picutre. his father died when he was 18 and his aunt when he was 20. When this happened would have been around 1986.

[PantyFanatic]

:( My marshmallow fell in the fire. :(

[Kissy]

Great thread! I have a ton of "fun" stories to tell but would have to ask my dad to tell me some of them. Quite a few are from when I was a lot younger. The most recent was when my husband was stationed in Germany and our apartment was always "active". The fridge would turn all the way up, or down. The oven would do the same. Our water was always turning on and one day we came home to find our bathroom door was warped shut and we could hear water so my husband broke it down and the shower had turned on hot water and had been on all day. It had gotten so hot the tile fell off the walls. We were always having to get out of bed and shut the faucets back off. One day I ran a bath and after getting in I watched the damned faucet turn back on by itself. I hollered to my husband and made him stand there while I got out. We usualy just laughed the stuff off but that was a little too much for me. :o

[PantyFanatic]

Tighten the packing nut. ;)

[nikanik]

My grandfather died when I was like eight and one night i was sleeping in the bed with my grandmother and she was sick and I woke up and could see my grandfather standing in the window and out of the window at the moon. I will always remember it because she had very heavy drapes that couldnt be moved by the wind and I could see the full moon. My mom said he was just worried about my grandmother and came to check on her. I also saw him get into the bed with us one night when I was sick and I snuggled up to him my grandmother woke up and told my mom it looked like I was sleeping on somebody and all the pillows were on the floor. I was never afraid though just comforted.

[cowgirltease]

exhib_it_all....... I feel for you really.......
Just remember........ If you believe there is a god
that means there is an evil one too. And I do believe in lost souls.(those who cannot rest in peace)

[Summer]

Interesting.

[exhib_it_all]

Ok, I finally got rid of EVERYTHING I bought at that estate sale, I guess we'll see what happens next....

(stay tuned)

In the mean time I'd still love to hear from anyone else who has experienced something like this.


:-+

[Lilith_82]

I've never lived in a haunted house, but I have visited in one. My uncle and aunt own one. They have two ghosts... a male one, which they call Harry, and a girl, whose name I don't know. Harry is a friendly ghost. He likes to open doors and cupboards, and that kind of thing, but is never a nuisance, and is never mean-spirited. The girl.. she never has DONE HARM, but I have seen her, and she is frightening. I was walking up the stairs one day, and she stood in the corner of one landing, and just shook her head. She would not let me pass. She has dark hair and black eyes, and was dressed in an old fashion. My aunt was upstairs in her meditation room, and I think the girl was trying to give my aunt peace. But she was freaky looking. Just her slow, ominous shake of her head.