Born and raised in Ohio, some here say you’re never more than a stone’s throw away from the claim of a weird happening. I was raised in Martin’s Ferry, Ohio– home to many a ghost story. I attended Kent State University and now call Kent my home.
One of the best known haunted sites in Ohio is the Mansfield Reformatory where they hold ghost tours. In Martin’s Ferry, what comes to mind first is a weeping bridge urban legend at the end of town involving the ghost of the only woman whose body was not found when a cemetery flooded. In Kent, there is a Masonic Temple where people who live close by hear the cries of a woman burned in an upstairs room. The local theater is said to be haunted but I’ve read several different versions of that story. Towner’s Woods is rumored to be haunted by an Indian princess buried there.
So, with what I write, I’m sure no one will be surprised to learn that I’ve had a few
paranormal experiences of my own. Some funny, some not.
paranormal experiences of my own. Some funny, some not.
I used to spend the night at a girlfriend’s when I was young whose deceased grandfather liked to flicker the lights and start the coffee pot.
Want to hear one that scared me most? To set the scene, I was pregnant, living in a small town called Brimfield and on bed-rest with my first child. We had just moved into our house. I was home alone that night while my husband was working, he’s a musician and was about an hour’s drive away – get this, playing at what
is supposed to be a haunted bed and breakfast. Anyway, I had fallen asleep with the light
on in the bedroom, a habit of mine when he has late night gigs. I woke up with the feeling
that someone was looking at me-- you know the feeling when someone is staring
at you and that makes you turn toward them.
I opened my eyes to find what I deemed a shadow person at the foot of my bed.
He was just a shadow really, no color at all, but he was darker, the figure
more solid than most I’ve seen which are usually smokier in color with no details to
them at all. Him, I felt I could touch. There was a three-dimensional look
to him almost like I could make out some of his features, shading on the face, down his arms
and legs.
He felt menacing, like a person who is angry and sad at the same time.
I could almost feel the rage making the air pulse in the room. We had a stare off for I don’t know how long but, when I tried to sit up, the light bulb in the fixture over the bed burst. It made a horrible sound like a loud click of a light switch, sizzled and then I heard the glass bulb break. Everything went dark, but I instantly knew he was gone.
While I had very strict directions of the tiny bit of walking I was allowed to do, I used one of my allowances to make my way to the living room, turning on every light as I went, and put myself on the couch until my husband got home.
Now, the weirdest part. Know how when you sell a house it’s a law to disclose certain
histories of the house? Well, I guess our seller chose not to.
After my son was born and I had done an energy clearing on the house, a man shows up
at my door. Just a salesman, young guy, but I had the door open since it
was spring. After I turn down the steaks he’s selling, he stays looking into the house, an odd look on his face. I ask him if something is wrong, and he starts rambling on about being friends with the guy that used to live here; he really wanted to see the place, etc. About this time I had walked to the door like I was being sympathetic, but really had clicked the lock on the screen. He goes on to tell me in a rush of words that this friend hung himself in the basement, but I must have known that, then takes off down the steps and gets into his car leaving me there shaking in my shoes remembering the shadow man!
Now, the weirdest part. Know how when you sell a house it’s a law to disclose certain
histories of the house? Well, I guess our seller chose not to.
After my son was born and I had done an energy clearing on the house, a man shows up
at my door. Just a salesman, young guy, but I had the door open since it
was spring. After I turn down the steaks he’s selling, he stays looking into the house, an odd look on his face. I ask him if something is wrong, and he starts rambling on about being friends with the guy that used to live here; he really wanted to see the place, etc. About this time I had walked to the door like I was being sympathetic, but really had clicked the lock on the screen. He goes on to tell me in a rush of words that this friend hung himself in the basement, but I must have known that, then takes off down the steps and gets into his car leaving me there shaking in my shoes remembering the shadow man!
Of course, some parts of my stories are true from time to time. Some of what I have experienced here in my home state of Ohio has made it into some of my fictional short stories though my newest release, Spelled, is pure 100% fiction.
Spelled, A Novella
When Sandra’s aunt discovers a dark and disturbing spell during a ritual in her store, Sandra flies to California at her families urging. What she never expected was a dark-haired, silver-eyed man to walk into the store and propose the most insane of ideas to her - that they were spelled, generations ago, by a dark warlock.
The implications of this history lesson are as complicated as they are startling, and their only options are not all that clear. Real or magick, there is an obvious attraction between Sandra and Daniel. Together their powers are strong, and their options appear limited.
Sandra and Daniel have only one night to find a way to not only to save their families magick, but also to save the earth from a magick-al catastrophe. They must put their minds, their bodies, their magick, and maybe even their hearts on the line, or all could be lost.
Kiki Howell
Author of Paranormal, Erotic Romance, Suspense
~where love is a mystical thing~
(pictures provided by author)
I had the pleasure of being in Cleveland on the 4th of July many years ago and enjoyed the fireworks on the lake. Awesome! We also took the boat tour of all the wonderful and diverse architecture there. Thanks for a reminder of what a lovely city it is! Good luck with your books!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you have a ready source of inspiration for the type of writing you do. Best wishes for success with your books.
ReplyDeleteJust from reading your blog, I can tell you are a terrific writer. You have the fodder for many stories. I sense spirits, particularly through smell, and have lived in a haunted house, but I really don't want to see anything -- although out of the corner of my eye....
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your books.
What an amazing story. I would have been very scared. As an aside I was on bed rest for one of my daughters. It is tough.
ReplyDeletedebby236 at gmail dot com