REAL GHOST STORIES

My Grandparents Big House

While my parents, Allen and Natasha, were often away working with their Business (they ran an import company for various antiques and fine wines for many years). Because it was difficult to travel with three youngish children, my siblings and I were often left in the care of our Paternal Grandparents.

Papa Charlie and Gran Florence were great and spoiled us rotten when we stayed with them. They lived in a 120-year-old house in an upper-class area of Atlanta, Georgia. Grandpa had been left it by his late Uncle Stephen who was a well known eccentric. It was quite large (6 bedrooms and 4 full bathrooms and a ballroom which we used as a roller rink). The place was full of really weird artworks and very old furniture but it was very very comfortable. It did have heating and air conditioning for when the weather required it. And baths with weird claw feet that were at least then seemed big enough to use as swimming pools (I was 5 at the time).

My siblings (twin sisters who were 9 and a 3-year-old brother) loved being there during the day but at night it felt strange. The place echoed strangely. Papa told us it was just the old house settling.

We would have believed him if it was all just sounds.

The first thing I noticed was this shadow that would move around the hallway it wasn't something you just saw gliding around on the wall like a common shadow. This thing looked like a solid mass of darkness. It was only the hallway we saw it but at different times and only at night.

I tried to approach it and talk to it but it only moved away faster and disappeared into a painting on the wall (or maybe just into the wall). It never said anything, it never gave off any feeling good or bad. It just kind of came and went but it sure was strange.

Doors would open and shut, they were checked and rechecked for being badly fitted or having moved out of square due to their age. The locks were checked, the hinges were checked. Doors were taken down and rehinged and rehung but it still happened. You wouldn't see it happen and no one ever heard them open unless we personally opened them. They'd just be open. Then we would close them. They'd stay shut for a while and then open by themselves again. It was only the internal doors that did this. The front, back and side doors didn't open unless we opened them ourselves. This confused us all.

Another was the sound of a car with a big engine that was very loud would drive up our long curved driveway (we would hear it drive up to the door and the engine turns off), many times we'd go out to see who it was but there was never anyone or any car there. A little while later it would start up again and we would hear it drive away again.

Stranger still was the fact the front gates weren't only shut but locked tight and bolted. As it always was unless we were going out.

Certain nights we'd hear singing (a lady with a beautiful voice) and a well-played piano with music that sounded very old. Two problems with this; Firstly no one in the house knew the music that was being sung let known be able to sing it (many of us played instruments and my mother was a great singer but she wasn't around when this would happen), secondly there wasn't a functioning piano in the house. We had an old piano in the basement but it was broken (all the wires inside were broken by something we didn't know what and many keys were missing). And the piano sound came from the front lounge room and the singing from the ballroom area (were we roller skated as our grandparents pretty much didn't use it).

There were many other things but this is something I thought I'd start with.

Sadly my Grandparents have since passed on to the reward they earned in the afterlife I miss them every day. My uncle David and aunt Deb live in the house with my cousins now and I rarely visit as my work really doesn't give me much time.

Now and then through stories from my aunt and uncle and cousins filter down to me... The ghosts or whatever they are. Seem to still be around.

Thanks for reading. Sorry, it's a bit long.

Cars I can fix. Stories aren't my best thing but I try.

Sebastian.