The Ghost
y grandmother was a woman of infinite patience and wisdom. It took patience to help
raise three headstrong grandsons, run a nursing home which was usually filled to capacity,
and maintain her sense of direction. She had taken care of us on an off throughout the
years. In the summer of 1957 my oldest brother, Jerry, had married and left home leaving
Richard and I in her care. �Granny Mac�, as we affectionately called her, could entertain
us hours upon hours with stories of her younger days when her family owned half of the
town in which we lived. When an incident would occur which defied all logic, she would tell
us of some of her experiences with the supernatural. She never meant the stories to be
scary or to frighten us, they were simply a fact which she related to. She believed that
ghosts existed and could be sent on their way if you confronted them.
Richard was always off with his friends while I on the other hand spent quite some time with my grandmother helping her run the nursing home business. I helped prepare lunches by making sandwiches and ladle soup into bowls while the elders gathered at the dinner table. In the afternoons I would pass out their favorite snacks, fruit or candies. I also helped Granny Mac with most of the household chores. To be honest, nothing seemed like a chore when I was helping her. She had a way of making the worst of jobs seem important and she took great pride in everything she did. My best moments came when I could complete a task to her satisfaction without any assistance. Granny Mac loved all her grandchildren equally, however she and I shared a special bond. It may have appeared to anyone outside the family that she favored me because I was always around her. Like any other teenager I had my moments and often got in to trouble. She was always there to bail me out of my skirmishes. She never lectured me afterwards, but her way of showing disapproval of the things I did to get me into these jams was very short and to the point, �Pretty Is As Pretty Does�. Such a small statement which contained so much meaning. In all the years I had known my grandmother I never knew her to tell a fib or even stretch the truth one iota, when she spoke everyone listened and you could take her word to the bank.
Being the youngest of the two left in her charge, my hours of hanging out were a little shorter than my brother�s. One of her ways to get me home at a decent hour was to have me pick up a cone of fudge ripple ice cream for her. The drug store didn�t stay open late, so my duty of picking up the cones was a method she used to curb my activities. I knew what she was doing but I loved and respected her so much and I knew this was for my own good, that I did not mind the unspoken restraints. This routine gave us quite time together which gave me an insight into her young life. I would sit and listen to her stories before Richard and my Uncle Preston returned home from their activities . My Uncle Preston, the youngest of five children, was still living at home. He had remained to help his mother financially when things had been tough. Now he was helping her run her business and working a full time job. My grandmother did not have a formal education and Uncle Preston was sorely needed to handle the mountains of paper work that come with any business.
One Friday night after I returned home from the movies, my grandmother told me she had heard a noise on top of the house that sounded like someone walking across the roof and dragging chains. The roof was made of tin so that even when there was a breeze it would make little sounds. I suggested to her that maybe it was just a gust of wind that had ruffled the tin or a branch had fallen from one of the trees onto the roof. She did not agree with my explanation and besides, what about the sound of the chains? Maybe someone was trying to play a prank on her. I had never heard anything out of the ordinary around the house, yet I did believe she had heard something. A couple of nights later she told me she had heard the noise again that evening and suggested it might be a ghost that had come looking for something or someone. Hum... maybe a look during the day was in order, I wasn�t about to go out there in the dark. The next morning I climbed onto the top of the house half expecting to see rocks or tree limbs that had been thrown or fallen. I saw nothing. For the next few nights she did not hear anything out of the ordinary. We thought whatever it had been, prankster or ghost, it was over and done with.
My Uncle Mac and his family from Arizona were coming for a visit. The night before their arrival I had done my usual thing and picked up the ice cream for my grandmother and returned home before anyone else arrived. Granny Mac told me she had heard the noise again and it was much louder this time. While she was talking the noise started, it was just as she had described it. Someone or something was walking heavily across the roof and it sounded like they were dragging chains, it sent chills down my spine. I called my Uncle Milton who was a policeman and on duty that night. At first he laughed but when he realized we were really scared, he said he would drive by and check the house out from a distance. If someone was playing around he could catch them in the act. The noise had stopped and we started to feel a little better knowing Milton was patrolling the area. We waited up for Richard and Uncle Preston and when they finally arrived we told them what had happened. My grandmother had mentioned the noises to them when they first occurred, they had used the same explanations that I had used. Not that anyone disbelieved my Grandmother the first time she mentioned the noises, it was just that our rationalizations were easier to live with. The telephone�s ringing halted our conversation, it was Uncle Milton calling to let us know he had watched the house for an hour and had seen no one. Richard and Uncle Preston seemed concerned and continued to theorize what the noises could be. Everyone went off to bed. We all spent a restless night, at least I did. What could these noises be? Could it really be a ghost like my grandmother suggested? Was it someone�s prank that we had not yet figured out?
Everyone was excited when Uncle Mac and his family arrived the following day. In catching him up with what all had happened since his last visit, we told him about the noise, his response was that there was a logical explanation for everything. He puffed his chest out and said he hoped whatever this thing was it would show up while he was visiting. He�d find out who or what it was. Little did he know that he would get his wish that very night!
In making sleeping arrangements that would be satisfactory for all, I had moved to the sofa in the living room. I stayed up reading and it wasn�t too long before the sounds from the other rooms faded away. I stopped reading after awhile and started thinking about all the fun we were going to have while Uncle Mac was home. He was very athletic, could play almost any sport, and this was right up my alley. I loved sports and would get to challenge him. Wow! Maybe I could even beat him. Sleep finally got to me and I reached over and turned off the table lamp. Just as I started to drift off, the noise started. It sounded as if it was right over the top of my head and continued walking down the middle of the house towards the rear of the house. I tired to leap off the sofa but in my excitement I had managed to tangle myself in my sheets and instead of leaping it was more of a falling off of the sofa, but I did manage to scramble to my feet and run into the hallway. All the male members of the family came running into the hallway shouting �Shhh�s� �Shut-UP�s� and �Quiet!�s�. When that was finally resolved, we all stood there in our undergarments just listening, trying to get a clue as to what was causing the noise. When a light came on from one of the bedrooms, the noise stopped. Uncle Mac took off to his bedroom to check on his family and now everyone was turning on lights. We had all the lights burning and it was evident that everyone in the house had heard the noise and each had an opinion of what it could be.
Uncle Mac addressed us all, he was convinced that someone was playing a not so funny joke on us and he would get to the bottom of things! After a while everyone calmed down and eventually we all returned to our beds. Uncle Mac had sounded so sure and confident we only hoped he was right. I laid back down on the couch and pretended to read again, but the truth was I was just a little afraid of what would happen when I did turn my light off. After a few minutes the need for sleep pushed the fear to the back of my mind and I turned off the light. Just as I did that, the noise started again in the very same place it had before. I quickly turned the light back on and the noise stopped. Everyone clamored into the living room and I explained how I discovered that my turning the light on and off had started and stopped the noise. Everyone stayed in the room and we turned off the light and the noise started again, then we turned the light on and the noise stopped. Everyone seemed glued to the spot in which they were standing. All of a sudden Uncle Preston and Uncle Mac dashed outside to have a look around. When they returned, they still could not shed any light on what was going on. Uncle Preston said the short term answer to the problem was to leave a light on and go to bed. At sun up we could try to figure this out. I quickly suggested that I leave my light on since it seemed to trigger the noise and it was the least I could do so the entire family could get a peaceful night�s sleep. Uncle Mac said we shouldn�t discuss the episode with anyone outside of the family because we could be speaking to the very one that was responsible for the prank.
Morning came and after breakfast we conducted our �investigation�. We spent a few hours checking out the roof, the grounds and the surrounding area. We didn�t want to draw attention to ourselves so we were very casual in our approach. The neighbors would be gawking at us if we were blatant in our quest so we pretended to be showing Uncle Mac around the grounds and made sweeping gestures towards the different vegetation as we moved around, all the while making small talk. The investigation was a failure for we found no rocks are limbs on top of the house and nothing lying on the ground that could have been used to make those disturbing noises.
It was time to break out the heavy artillery. Uncle Mac had brought some of his firearms with him to do some target practice which we always did on his visits. We also had a few weapons; a .38 pistol and a couple of shotguns that were used for hunting small game. Tonight would be different, we would set a trap for this prankster and scare the pants off of him! Now to formulate a plan. Uncle Mac took charge of this and laid out his plans for this trap which seemed fool-proof to the rest of us. We would all take up positions completely surrounding the house. Richard and I being the smallest of the group were to climb the young Magnolia tree, that although was just starting its many years of providing cool shade for the porch, was already very tall and over hung the front part of the house. If something was being thrown from a distance, we from our vantage point would be able to see from what direction and maybe be so fortunate to see the culprit. To completely close off the area, Uncle Mac decided to enlist a few more people to our ranks. He recruited my oldest brother Jerry to assist in our pursuit of this obviously crazy person. �Yes of course� was Jerry�s immediate reply and not only would he join our band of armed forces, but he would bring along a couple of his friends. Uncle Mac also recruited Uncle Melton. If we were fortunate to catch someone, he could cart their sorry carcass off to jail for disturbing the peace with their stupid prank. For the rest of the day we had a good time. We had some friends over and played Badminton for most of the day which was followed by a cook out that evening.
I didn�t get an opportunity to challenge Uncle Mac, but we did team up together. We won game after game until we stopped playing just to give everyone else a chance to play. By nine-thirty everyone had arrived where upon weapons and flashlights were issued to the elders of this now small army. Richard was issued the 38 pistol. Uncle Mac gave everyone their instructions, which were very explicit. If you did happen to see someone, you were to fire into the air, we didn�t want to kill or maim anyone if it could be avoided. Personally I don�t think Uncle Mac planned to follow his own instructions. He was a dead shot with a short temper and I started feeling sorry for whomever or whatever was out there. It was fast approaching eleven o�clock, our normal bedtime. The plan was for one person at a time to take up their position. The ladies were to turn out the lights five minutes after the last man was out of the house. Since Richard and I would be in the same vantage point, we were allowed to go out together to climb the tree. As we approached our destination, I told Richard that the only way I was going up that tree was if I carried the pistol. We argued for a few minutes, but he finally gave in only if I would take the top position in the tree. I guess he figured if he didn�t have a weapon, he wanted to be the first out of the tree in case of trouble.
We could see a few of the inside house lights reflecting out onto the lawn. The street light nearby provide us a good view of the top of the house and a large portion of the surrounding area. The lights started going off inside the house and nothing happened. The only sounds we heard were that of our own harsh breathing. We waited for what seemed an eternity, but in reality was only a few minutes. We grew a little restless, had someone discovered our carefully laid out plans or had they seen us taking up our positions? The answers came before I could finish another thought, the noise started right beneath us! Richard�s and my eyes were peeled down to the very spot where our ears heard the noise which again consisted of those heavy steps with their chain dragging sounds! Yet our bulging eyes saw nothing for there was nothing to see. We listened in absolute terror as the sounds continued! The sounds continued as if it were going up the incline of the roof and was having a hard time making the climb. Richard finally managed a raspy whisper asking me if I could see anything? I was trying to answer him but my mouth was as dry as cotton and the words hung in my throat. I finally managed a very weak �No�. Suddenly the top of the house was bathed by the lights from flashlights but the noise continued. This thing, this invisible thing was going through its normal routine with or without the benefit of lights.
I discovered I had been pointing the .38 pistol at the noise, but it was useless, what was I going to shoot? Richard shouted for us to get the devil out of there and I didn�t need to be told twice! I stepped on his head on the way down and must have left foot prints on his back, but I was on the ground in seconds! I started to run, but Richard was having trouble getting out of the tree and calling for me to wait. Was he serious, wait! Yeah I�d wait all right, I�d wait for him inside of the house. Just as my feelings of duty for my brother were coming to a end, Richard hit the ground beside me. This solved my problems of having to come to his rescue and we both took off running towards the front door. We stopped on the porch where everyone had gathered. My Uncle Mac was telling everyone to be quite so he could listen. He told his brother, Preston, to go around the house one way and he would go the other. Uncle Mac thought the prankster had jumped off and was hiding close to the house, maybe even in the shrubs. Richard and I were trying to tell him this noise was not created by a person but we were swiftly silenced by him. We never got the opportunity to tell him of our harrowing discovery. He was about to find out first hand! Uncle Preston armed himself with the .38 pistol I had been carrying and Uncle Mac carried his 30-30 rifle. They both started out and planned to meet at the rear of the house. Richard and I knew this was useless, but no one was listening to us at this point. Jerry mentioned he hoped they did not shoot each other in the dark. At about that same time, a shot rang out, then three more!! We were all stunned for a second or two, but snapped out of it when we heard loud voices coming from the rear of the house. We all took off running for the rear of the house. Both my uncles were standing their blaming each other for almost shooting the another. They had backed into each other and discharged their weapons. Luckily they had both shot into the air, neither had been injured but both were letting off steam and the words they flung at each other were more than colorful. Uncle Milton attempted to stop them before the whole thing wound up in a fist fight. He was unsuccessful and Granny Mac stepped in. She had left the safety of the house to go out to see why her sons were acting like crazed fools. She never allowed language of this sort and she would be mortified if the neighbors were listening to the circus that was forming in her back lawn. She managed to calm us all down and instructed us to get back into the house.
When we all got back inside, Richard and I got the opportunity to tell what we had been witness to from our vantage point in the tree. As we told our story we got a few nervous laughs, mostly about the part of me stepping on Richard�s head and him telling me to wait. No one challenged what we were saying, it was a good explanation of why we all had not seen anyone. My Grandmother said she was now certain it was a ghost and she had never heard of a ghost hurting anyone, except maybe scaring them to death. Since we had had no success in our efforts to trap anyone and had endangered our own lives, Granny Mac said she wanted everything stopped. And as I mentioned before, when she spoke everyone listened. No one made an effort to challenge her. I think truth be known, no one wanted to pursue this matter any more than she did. The noise continued on and off until my Uncle Mac and his family left, after they were gone we never heard the noise again. My Grandmother later said the ghost was somehow associated with my uncle�s visit. It had started two weeks before his arrival and had stopped when he had departed. Maybe she was right, the rest of us didn�t care who or what it was associated with, just that the whole ordeal was over. Everyone else went away from the incident baffled and not sure of just what had happened on all those nights, but Richard and I knew we had witnessed a real ghost in action. Some forty years has passed now and up to this point it has been a once in a life time experience for me, believe me once is more than enough.
Funny thing is, everyone at one point or another moved away. Uncle Mac went back to Arizona, Uncle Preston and Granny Mac moved into another home which was much larger and allowed her to take in more of the elderly patients, Richard joined the Air Force and I married and moved out. No one ever lived or stayed in the house together again. At least none of us from the original �party�. Who can say whether the �visitor� ever came back or not. Would you like to go back there with me to find out?
