Paranormal Factor

I once worked with adults who were mentally and physically disabled. Many of my shifts were at Garrett Home (name changed for confidentiality). Garrett home had once been the home of the Garrett family, and had been built in 1866. It was a large white victorian, it had a quaint cottage in the back, a barn and a screened in porch.

The house was right on the highway, not very isolated; but Garrett Home had a life all of it’s own seperate from the busy road it resided on. Many of the residents of Garrett Home were prone to fits of rages, which they did not display much of once they left Garrett Home to move into their own respective apartments or duplexes.

Garrett Home had an attic upstairs, one of those old fashioned ones with the tiny door. Often the attic light would come on for no reason. Sometimes when I left at 12:45 in the morning, I would look up to see the attic light on. I would let the other staff know, and they claimed they did not leave it on either.

The home had a wide spiral staircase. I can’t tell you how many times I dreaded walking down those stairs, it was as if someone were about to push me down the stairs. Sometimes I felt a touch on the small of my back, or felt and heard breathing on the back of my neck. This was quite upsetting.

Sometimes during the day, if I worked alone, I would turn the seventies style stereo on to listen to music as I worked. One morning I was in the office working on my documenting when I heard the tuner on the stereo. I went into the “ball room” and watched as the button on the tuner moved as if an unseen hand was trying to change the station. I quickly shut the stereo off.

It came on again, and with it the changing of the station. I unplugged it, and thankfully, that was that; although it was clear that there was an electrical charge a few seconds after I unplugged it.

Mornings after that, the stereo was often on because staff had turned it on. When staff left, the stereo antics began again; that is unless I remembered to leave it unplugged.

Garrett Home was closed a few years ago. The residents that had once raised hell within it’s wall now living in their own apartments or deceased. I still wonder how much Gorman Home had effected their lives. It was a spooky old house, but like many other houses of its ilk, attracted a new family. They refurbished the grand old home to its former glory. Hopefully it isn’t playing games with them like it did with me.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS