Showing posts with label haunted houses. Show all posts
Showing posts with label haunted houses. Show all posts

Thursday, June 26, 2014

The Voice at the Stairs Part 1


When I turned 17 years old, my interest was renewed in things spiritual, and psychic. The Ouija board again became part of the entertainment for my high school friends although I showed it more respect than I had before.

Around midnight one evening, my boyfriend, two girlfriends and myself hung out in my basement listening to albums and telling ghost stories. I snuck up the darkened stairs and retrieved the Ouija board from the dining room closet without waking my mother whom laid sleeping in the other room.

I brought it back to my friends and we began to try it out. Wondering if we could still get any answers from the neglected spirits, Tim and I laid our hands on the planchette.

The details of what we asked seem blurry to me now, except for the final questions of the night. My friend Liz had lost her father many years before. She never talked about it, but we knew it was a painful memory for her. Having been raised by strict German Catholics, Liz was a weekly church attendee, and really very wary of the use of Ouija and what it meant to talk to spirits in this way. She sat at a distance from the rest of us on the floor until the Ouija called her name.
“ I have a message for Liz” the board spelled out.

Liz shook her head, not wanting to hear it, but curious and well meaning; we encouraged her to allow us to go on.
“ It’s from Poppa.” The board spelled, and then continued to spell a few words in German. None of us except Liz spoke or knew it.
“Tell them to…” Kathy spoke out as the letters turned into words “Tell them to STOP.”
Quickly Tim and I raised our hands off the board and all four of us suddenly felt a chill go down our spines.

“ Diane!” my mother shouted from the top of the stairs that lead down to the basement.
Surprised to hear my mother’s voice so late, I jumped up and ran to the base of the stairs.
“ Yeah?”
“Are you kids playing with that Ouija board?”
“Yeah!” I replied, now stunned that she somehow knew this.
“ Put it away.” She said, appearing somewhat harried.
“Why?” I wondered.
“I was just woken up by a voice in my room. It said, Tell Them to Stop!”
We packed up the board, and I said goodnight to my friends, promising to get together the next day to discuss what was happening.
I brought the game upstairs and went to bed.
I awoke the next morning to find a crucifix hanging over my head, and the Ouija board packed away, again with a rosary atop it. Mom never did tell us where she hide it, and we never touched it again. At least not that particular board.

Stay Tuned for Part 2. The Next Day.

Photo by extranoise Flickr.com

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

The Morality of New Haunted Attractions: The Villisca Axe Murder House

I recently watched an episode of "The Dead Files" where the investigators checked out the familiar Villisca Axe Murder House in Iowa.  I say Familiar, because this is not the first time this home has been investigated. 

The first time I heard about this haunted home and it's history was when it was investigated by the Ghost Adventures team. They went there on behest of the home owners who grew up there (as I recall) and were truly tormented by their memories of the noises and experiences they had there.  The guys went in respectfully when trying to communicate with the murder victims of this horrendous crime scene.

So, what's the history? Ah, well, if you are unaware, in 1912,  8 people, including children, were killed in their sleep, one by axe, the rest by the back of the axe head. The crime is still unsolved and infamous by its brutality and young victims.

What's changed? Since the Ghost Adventures team investigated, the owners of the home have turned it into a haunted attraction.

What's my beef? I dunno. Is it too soon? Is it because of the young victims? Is it because of the blood dripping font on the sign out in front of the house that disrupts my calm?

My question to you.... Is it ethical, moral even, to turn a crime scene like this into a tourist attraction?

How is it different than the Lizzie Bordon House, you might ask... Well, in my opinion, it is because it doesn't involve children first of all.
If it was presented in a different way, would I feel better about it?  I don't know. 

here's the official site:  http://www.villiscaiowa.com/

What do you think?

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AttributionNo Derivative Works Some rights reserved by Jennifer Kirkland