THE POLTERGEISTS AND CEMETERY GHOSTS EXPERIENCE!

PLEASE note that this story is based on true events, names and places have been changed to protect the people involved. Thanks and enjoy this spooky read...

THIS took place after the house fire in the worst winter month... February 1962...

WE knew we'd have to find lodgings as soon as possible. Temporarily staying at maternal grandparents caused a few unwelcomed frictions.

THE local Firehouse called us a fortnight later. They had good news. They'd found us a top floor flat with the advantage of two balconies. One at the front accessible by the living room. The other reached by the kitchen and situated at the back of the property.

HOWEVER, we were two streets up from the biggest cemetery for our city "Ash River Graveyard" established during the Victorian era and containing over 50,000 souls.

ALTHOUGH some of us were apprehensive of this proximity, it was a choice better than the tension-filled house currently available. Personally I'd missed the nightly chats with dearly departed relatives who roamed the house.

THEREFORE, after hastily moving in, Papa signed a lease from February to August. The flat was in a rectangular shape. It also had two main doors. The front one entered into a small space with closet and a wall-set of hooks.

AS Papa put me down, I opened my eyes and realised this place was extremely crowded already. Now, four fresh and bright souls were joining this fray, aka us, Mother, Papa, sister and myself (the clairvoyant and clairaudient).

AS we'd lost everything in the fire, thankfully this new abode was partially furnished. The ghosts parted ways, when Papa made his way to check the television and turned it on.

I WAS frozen where I'd been put and surrounded by way too many lost souls. Some were dressed modernly, others from said Victorian times.

ALSO, I need to point out this particularity that you may not know about souls beyond the veil. The newly dead are not as transparent as the ones who've left the earthly planes aeons ago. 

THEREFORE, if your clairvoyance skills are highly developed, you can make the difference much easier. There's various layers.

ON WITH the housing arrangements. Entrance into living room on the left, dining room to the right and beyond, the kitchen with the patio door to balcony and side door for backstairs.

BETWEEN dining and kitchen, hallway with four doors. Two smaller bedrooms facing the back, full bathroom and door to parents master bedroom.

THAT first night in my room, things went bump into the night. I'd asked Papa to turn the mobile mirror away from my bed. Didn't fancy facing (what I've come to know about mirrors, portals to the beyond) me and attacking my soul while I slept.

ON THE following morning, after a fretful sleep, all my new items of clothing weren't where Papa had put them. Some were inside out. Huh oh, someone had played with my clothes... And this was the beginning...

I STAYED in bed, rearranging my stuff toys, waiting for Papa to take me through my routine and then go for breakfast. The kitchen, which was fully equipped had been riffled through.

PAPA knowing our ancestry, looked at me and said very casually: "Cemetery people came for a visit hey?" To which I shook my head in the yes response. "Oh deary me!" he exclaimed "Mother won't like this, I'd better be speedy and get everything back in place before she and your sister's are up..."

ONE cup on the counter was found with an inch of coffee liquid without milk. As far as we knew, no one had risen overnight for of all things, a cup of coffee. It really stumped us. Later on, the two sleepy heads came in for their breakfast. That was the cue for us to leave.

GRAMPS was my babysitter and after Papa dropped me off and the usual warm convos, Papa was off to work and a day of DIY ensued. Gramps' house had only a semi basement. Thankfully, it wasn't too deep below ground due to how great-gramps had built the house.

THIS meant that the only spirits found there were mostly cats and dogs. The main area of the house was reached by a short 5-steps stairway onto a neat porch. Upon opening the counter-door or storm-door, we found the milk bottles with their caps lifted to permit the cream from rising.

THESE resulted in something called a mellow roll, which Gramps collected and added vanilla to it and then put into the ice box. Bestest ice cream, dear readers. Pure fat and not at all good for your ticker and/or your cholesterol levels... but oh so yummy.

UPON entering the kitchen, I acknowledged both my great-grandparents (yup they're beyond the veil but love their big house in town, why leave, hey?). It's a situation which repeated itself for a while. No need to tell everything as it was very casual with family members coming in and out all the time. So, no boring bits LOL!

THE days of February passed quickly and the next week, March arrived and the fun time of regular weekend visits to the various sugar bushes began in earnest.

ON THE last three months, which were very hot aka summertime, we had to sleep on the balcony.

THAT cemetery at night was very crowded by ghosts. As if that wasn't enough of a pow-wow, Poltergeists had fun all night getting the glasses and cups out of the cupboards and onto the counter by the kettle. Then they'd moved the coffee pot next to it.

I'VE COME to realise that as I was a girl and the youngest soul in the family, that's why they were attracted. I guess they were trying to make coffee as some nights the kettle would suddenly whistle and steam would be coming out of the spout.

AFTER the years I'd spent growing up with seeing and hearing ghosts and things moving around ... Once I got married, I'd always asked before moving into a new property, how far/close was the cemetery.

THANKFULLY, I'd been lucky. The houses hubby and I chose were always away from the prospective cemeteries. The second requirements were hospitals/funeral homes lol!

ABOUT 7 years before I got married, the house my family moved in had been built on old burial grounds. Oh that wasn't pleasant. It's here as PARANORMAL ESSAY!